I'd Follow You Down
by Deanstiel's Daughter
Summary: (Season 10 AU Plotline). Dean's been cured, but at a dastardly cost. Metatron's been taken to Heaven's jail, but it's not certain how long the angels will be able to keep him there and one choice could leave Sam alone forever. New paths will be forged, suprising allies are made, and new secrets will come to light. The only question is how and when will this all end for everyone?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this story I wanted to get in before the Season 10 premiere in October and honestly I think I've got plenty of time, but hey there's no time like the present huh? It features a few OC's, but only one you've met before if you've read my other stories: Titan. But if you haven't met Titan here's a little background information: Titan is an Angelhound (the angelic equivalent of Hellhounds) and in my stories each angel has an Angelhound they can call upon to assist them in Heavenly feats such as war, etc. Titan used to be Balthazar's Angelhound, but Balthazar gave him to Dean so now he's Dean's. Also I have a headcannon that there's an Angel Council who watches over Heaven and tries all crimes of the Angelic nature. In my other story Donathan (leader of the Council) died, but for certain purposes in this story he's alive. Now that you have that background info time for a story!**

**Pairings: Destiel (Pre-Destiel to begin with)**

**Enjoy!**

One

Dean had become a Knight of Hell and everything had subsequently gone to it. Castiel and Sam still remembered finding him dead like that on the bed after Sam had tried to summon Crowley to straighten out the mess. Castiel had been busy dealing with Metatron beforehand and had made it down to earth only to find his best friend dead and his best friend's brother is disarray. Their world had been turned upside down once again.

When Dean had awoken with his new form of life he was colder. Castiel, who had once stared upon the face of a human soul, stared into the dark black eyes of a dead man. A dead man with a demonic ram for a face now or at least that was how Dean Winchester appeared to Castiel. His new true form was almost enough to make Castiel cry.

Dean spent his nights out killing and running amuck with Crowley. Sam spent his looking for a cure and Castiel spent his preparing for the trial of Metatron. Surely the Angel Council he hoped would find Metatron guilty. If he owed Donathan nothing else, he'd certainly be willing to owe him anything for this. Months went by and finally after many weeks on end of studying in Heaven's library, Castiel found something.

He'd rushed to earth and helped Sam tie Dean down to a bed before hastily heading outside. He'd told Sam he had a way to cure Dean, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Sam the details. He couldn't have Sam know anything, so Castiel left without a word and did not return until the sun started setting in the sky. The clouds hung low and the sky was a beautiful display of red, gold, and yellow and Dean slept in his room, unaware of the beauty of the evening and what Castiel had done.

Titan, Dean's Angelhound given to him by Balthazar about a year or two before this incident, strode over to Castiel and stuck his head up under Castiel's hand. Castiel looked down fondly at the hound and smiled.

"_Dean is asleep," _Titan said through Castiel's mind as he sat next to the angel and panted. "_You do realize the potential consequences of what you have done though, do you not Castiel?"_

"I know what I'm doing Titan," Castiel then stopped petting the hound and looked up towards the sky. "I hope."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam sat in the chair where his brother lay. Here the younger Winchester had been busting his ass trying to find a way to cure Dean and Castiel fixes it just like that. He'd asked demons.

_"Is there a way to cure this?" Sam asked the demon he'd summoned at the crossroads near the bunker. The air was warm and a breeze was blowing. Sam's skin was ashen and he was tired, it was easily seen in his eyes. _

_ "Even if I knew that there was a cure," the demon girl said sassily. "Why would I tell you that information?"_

_ "Because Miss Priss," Sam came closer into the devil's trap, sizing up the demon and staring down at her with a gruesome look on his face. "Right now my brother and your King are busy slaughtering innocent people and maybe even some of your people and it seems to be my only option to call upon one of you underworld whores to help me."_

_ "Sammy," the demon smirked and leaned close to him. "You've got a mouth on you. There's no cure, trust me."_

_ Sam paused a moment, looking into her eyes and then suddenly grabbed her around her throat. She started choking. _

_ "Lies," Sam said, starting to chant. "Spiritus immundus…"_

_ "Alright," she yelled and Sam loosened his grip, she coughed as she regained air. "There's a cure! But I don't know it I swear! P-Please I swear I don't know it!"_

_ Sam dropped her to the ground and started to walk away._

_ "You're just gonna leave me here?!" she asked him._

_ "I'm sure your King will rescue you." Sam replied before he got into the Impala and drove off into the night towards the bunker._

The demon had spoken of a cure. Sam had contemplated asking Crowley if it was true or not, but since Crowley was MIA most of the time being Dean's "killing coach" he'd decided against it. Now Dean lay, asleep, the darkness inside was festering Sam could tell. He was almost afraid for what Castiel had done, but at the same time Sam was desperate and desperate times called for desperate measures most of the time.

Now, all Sam could do was waiting, waiting until his brother woke up.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The tiny starlings pecked at things not seen to the human eye that they found on the ground in front of the bunker. Castiel watched them with some content. It had been Gabriel's job to create the birds. He'd based them off angels in Heaven. A tribute as he had called it. His mark on Heaven before he'd left. Castiel didn't know why he felt jealous of the birds, he was their equal. He was their design, their inspiration, but he lacked one thing they did have: freedom.

Castiel heard the familiar crunch of boots on gravel and the birds seemed to sense it too. They flew away and Castiel sighed. He kept his eyes fixed on them as they beat their wings through the clouds.

"_Lucky bastards." _He thought.

"Cas," Sam's voice came out low and quiet. "I don't know what you did, but Dean's awake."

Castiel turned his head to face the younger Winchester and the two of them made their way inside to Dean's bedroom. Sam ran in first when he saw Dean trying very hard to get up. His eyes were normal, no signs of evil in them. It was almost as if there never had been. They were their normal beautiful green.

"Dean please don't try to sit up too fast," Sam knelt down in front of his brother and placed a supporting hand on his back. "Are you dizzy? Do you need anything?"

"Sammy," Dean's voice came out gravelly, he paused but then he laughed a little. "We gotta work on your bedside manner."

"Shut up." Sam said and wrapped Dean in a giant hug, which at first Dean didn't understand, but then returned. Castiel watched from the doorway with a solemn look on his face. He knew Sam felt relief now and surely Dean did as well, but he also knew in their line of work it wouldn't last long. Not what with he'd done.

"Dean," he said and Dean turned his head to face Castiel, a shocked look on his face.

"Yeah Cas?" Dean asked. He didn't know what else to say to the angel. What else could he say after the past few weeks?

"When you are feeling up to it," Castiel explained. "Come to the kitchen. We have much to discuss."

Castiel left the doorway.

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**So what's to come? **

**Dean's cured, but what did Castiel do to achieve that?**

**And what of Metatron? Will he stand trial? What will the verdict be?**

**More to come soon guys.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dean sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in his hand, sipping it gingerly as if it were his last. Sam stood leaning against the kitchen countertop and Castiel stood with his hands in his pockets and looking down, contemplating his words. The air was heavy with unsaid words from all three of Team Free Will as Dean had called them so long ago.

"Gadreel is dead," Castiel decided it was best to start with that; there were details he had to leave out anyway. "He sacrificed himself for me in Heaven's jail. Metatron is there now, awaiting trial."

"So where does that leave us Cas?" Dean asked, looking up to meet the angel's eyes. Castiel looked tired, so tired.

"We're in wait," Castiel replied. "And you're under strict watch from Sam until we're sure you're cured."

"How long will that take?" Sam asked this time, he knew Castiel had done something, but at the same time he was afraid to know what.

"I don't know," Castiel admitted, it was true he didn't know. "But he doesn't leave the house until we know."

Castiel started to walk towards the entrance to the kitchen. His coat swinging from side to side and his hands in its pockets, Dean hadn't ever seen him walk like that. It seemed more human. Dean didn't know why, but for some reason that worried him. He felt it deep in his gut that something was off with the angel.

"I have much to attend to in Heaven," Castiel said before turning to the brothers. "I'll be back soon."

Castiel disappeared in a flash of feathers and wings, leaving Dean and Sam alone together in the kitchen. Sam cleared his throat and Dean started into his coffee as if it were growing a human head. The swirls of cream and sugar were turning in a clockwise motion.

"You lied to me." Dean said.

"Excuse me?" replied Sam.

"You said if I was ever dying you'd never try to save me," Dean said, turning to face his brother. "You lied. What made you change your mind Sammy?"

Sam hesitated. Could Dean handle the real reason? Sam wondered.

"I don't have to answer that Dean," Sam decided to play it safe. "You're my brother. I couldn't just let you die."

"Now you're just spurting out me," Dean said, accusatory-like and stood to face Sam. "What's the real reason Sam?"

Sam stared at him, and then answered.

"You need to get some sleep Dean," Sam said, pushing past his brother to the kitchen door. "We'll talk later."

Dean stood in the kitchen watching the spot where Sam had stood in the doorway. Something was up with both Sam and Castiel. Dean decided that for now it was best to leave it alone, but when the time came he'd certainly figure it out. Dean left the kitchen, his cup of coffee was cooling off and the steam had stopped rising.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Heaven's jail was made of steel and concrete now. Ever since Gadreel's suicide in the cell next to Castiel it had been rebuilt to withstand such an event happening ever again. The door to Gadreel's cell was wide open since it contained no prisoner. Castiel went inside the cell and touched his fingers to the rough texture of the wall. There were singe marks, where bits of Gadreel's grace had burned the stone. Castiel closed his eyes and sighed.

"Really quite a shame isn't it," Metatron said from the cell across from Gadreel's. Castiel turned his head and opened his eyes, his fingers still on the wall where the marks were. "I suppose he wasn't as weak as he appeared to be."

Castiel felt a lump rising in his throat and his fingers fell from the wall as he turned to walk towards Metatron's cell. The tips of his fingers were tingling still from rubbing against the rough stone wall. He reached the bars to Metatron's cell and stood before it, his hands tried not to shake. Metatron sat on the bench in the cell, his legs kicked up on it and his back against the wall. He smirked at Castiel.

"Gadreel was not weak," Castiel said, hoping for his voice not to falter. "He was a hero."

"You wouldn't have said that when he let that snake it now would you," Metatron replied. "You never did choose your idols well did you Castiel?"

"I don't see how that's relevant." Castiel said, his voice turning cold.

Metatron stood and walked over the edge of his cell. He was shorter than Castiel, but there was this aura about him that made him intimidating, especially after all that had happened.

"Because Castiel," Metatron said. "The little A-Teams you pick? They never work out. Gadreel, he was the biggest betrayer of Heaven besides Ecanus and Lucifer. Gabriel, your own brother, betrayed his family his Father and chose a new one, even those Winchester boys have screwed things up more times than you can imagine and you still choose to go back to them. You choose to go back to him."

Castiel's fists clenched and he gave Metatron a scowl.

"Why is that Castiel," Metatron asked. "I mean I know why you still choose to go back to that human every time, but why is it you choose to put your faith in those you can't believe in?"

Castiel grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him closer to the bars in death grip. His stare could kill. Metatron struggled a bit and looked into Castiel's eyes.

"So help me Metatron," Castiel said in a low hiss. "I have had thought after thought, I have been dreaming of just tearing you apart. But that's for the Council to decide. Father hope they won't be kind."

"Down boy," Metatron said in a bored tone. "Sorry I insulted your boyfriend and his brother, as well as your brothers. But you have to admit. When it comes to picking sides, you've never picked the winning one."

"I have now Metatron," Castiel said, letting go of him. "And it's certainly not yours."

Castiel started to walk away.

"Be warned Castiel," Metatron smirked and yelled out of his cell. "I have many plans. These prison doors can't hold someone like me forever, Kyrie Eleison on your soul Castiel."

Castiel ignored him. He nodded to the guards at the doors of the prison before flying off and the doors shut behind him.

**Read and Reviews are definitely appreciated!**

**So why didn't Sam let Dean die?**

**And what's wrong with Cas?**

**And what did Metatron mean by what he said?**

**More to come soon guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dean grunted as he pushed himself out from underneath the Impala and into the bright sunlight he'd forgotten about since he'd gone under the car to repair it. Dean wiped the sweat and grime from his forehead and sat up. He rubbed his eyes, trying to purge the lingering slight headache from them, as fast images of what had happened flashed through Dean's mind.

_He remembered the blood and gore. He remembered the cries of anguish from every single victim. He remembered Crowley's words of encouragement every time Dean had gone in for the kill. Every single time he went in for the kill._

_ "Go on Dean," he'd say. "They don't matter."_

But they did matter, that was the hard part. They had mattered before Dean had taken every inch of them and turned it inside out. Before Dean had slaughtered the masses and heard their innocent cries for help even now in his dreams and before everything had gone to Hell once again, literally. The radio next to Dean blasted "Back in Black" and Dean slammed its off button. He turned towards the trunk of his beloved car and jumped, holding his heart. There, Titan sat, staring at the hunter.

"Damn it Titan," Dean cursed and grabbed a rag to wipe off his shirt and hands with. "Give a guy a warning next time. You're turning into Cas."

"_My apologies Dean," _the hound said through Dean's mind. Dean forgot he could do that sometimes. "_Would you prefer my human form next time? Would that be less surprising?"_

_ "_Whatever form you want Titan," Dean also forgot sometimes that all Angelhounds had a human form as well. Titan's ironically looked almost nothing like his hound form. His human form was a young man, skinny but muscular. His human form had the same eyes, crystal blue, but blonde hair and a fouler mouth than Dean sometimes. Dean liked to think that was his only contribution to the hound's time on Earth was him picking up Dean's habit of cussing. "Speaking of Cas, where did he head off to? I figured he wanted to follow up on our talk from last night."

"_Castiel is attending to matters in Heaven," _Titan stretched and yawned, whining a little. "_It may take awhile. I cannot speak for him Dean."_

"You're a real barrel of sarcasm you know that," Dean chuckled and went under the hood of the Impala, checking it's engine and making sure it was in full working order. "Hard to believe I haven't driven Baby since…well since that night."

_"You are referring to the night you were killed by Metatron," _Titan almost slinked off the hood and down to the ground next to Dean, his eyes shone in the sunlight. "_Then became your worst nightmare, are you not?"_

"We need to work on your bluntness," Dean said, avoiding that subject. "I tend to think you picked up more than my foul mouth since you became mine."

_"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." _Titan replied arrogantly as his dog tags jingled on his neck. A red collar donned his neck; the one Balthazar had placed on him. The tags were in the shape of angel's wings and were real silver. Balthazar's name on them had been magically changed to Dean's when the hound had been given over to him. Dean grabbed the tags between his fingers and looked at them a moment before letting go.

"I feel like I've missed part of my life." Dean admitted with a sigh.

"_That's what rebuilding is for." _Dean could've sworn Titan almost smiled when he looked at him. The hound's eyes shone once and he ran off towards the bunker. The gravel kicking up behind his paws as he went and for one second Dean saw himself running back towards the bunker, covered in blood and with that crazed look in his eyes that only came after a kill, but as soon as the image presented itself in his mind it ran off just as Titan had.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"Oh guard," Metatron sang out, his voice sounding sickeningly sweet. "Guard!"

"What is it Metatron?" Belphagor, one of the angels guarding the jail on the night shift, said. He was a gruff angel. Not really one to socialize too much and one who had seen many a battle. He had the scars to prove it. All in all, a perfect candidate for the guard job.

"You see guard," Metatron explained. "I'm awfully bored here in this cell and I could use something to entertain myself. So that I don't annoy the likes of you as well."

Belphagor sighed. He realized anything he gave Metatron could easily lead to him getting himself out somehow, but what were the chances of that? The cells had been re-done since his arrival and since Gadreel had decided to be a martyr. What could Metatron do?

"Fine," Belphagor said. "What do you require to assist you in curing this so called boredom of yours?"

"Oh nothing," Metatron said with a smile. "Just a piece of paper and a pencil."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Castiel trudged along the path in Heaven he enjoyed most. It was the Heaven of an Autistic man who drowned in his bathtub and loved flying kites. The grass was a luscious green and the sky a perfect blue with fluffy white clouds. It was here that Castiel had also stood up to Raphael and his army and bled out on the green grass. It was here the singe marks of angels' wings still remained on the grass from said fight. The man didn't seem to ever notice though. He just continued to fly his kites. Castiel had always felt bad about what he considered to be "ruining" this man's Heaven. That was in the past though, along with everything else now. Castiel's constant mess ups, Dean becoming a Hell Knight, everything seemed right now for the most part. Although now, Castiel had this constant fear over his head ever since he'd done what he'd done. He knew he shouldn't have done it, but it was the only way at the time to save Dean and God knows he wouldn't just let Dean go on as what he'd become. The only choice Castiel had now was to tell him or not.

"A dilemma most interesting I'd say," the voice of the angel Ecanus echoed behind Castiel. "That took guts I'll give you that."

"Father forbid anyone else find out what I've done." Castiel rolled his eyes; he owed his sudden fluency in sarcasm to Dean.

"We all make mistakes Castiel," Ecanus landed next to him and admired the kite as well. "I would know most of all how that feels. I can't judge you."

Castiel sighed. Ecanus had once been a Scribe of Heaven like Metatron, but he had traveled to earth to assist in the Scribe Ezra in one of the many tribes somewhere in the world. The location escaped Castiel's memory. Ecanus had been captured whilst on earth by demons and they'd tortured him for information, using the same method Crowley had used on Samandrial when Castiel had rescued him. Ecanus had given away vital information on accident to the enemy and had been shunned by Heaven ever since. He'd taken up a new identity, using his Scribe friend's name in memoriam of him and gaining a new, younger, vessel by the name of Trey Walters. Ecanus had become known throughout Heaven as "Ezra", but in Castiel's company and those who knew, he was still referred to as Ecanus and if anyone knew anything about risky decisions and screwing up unintentionally, it was Ecanus.

"I thank you for your vote of confidence Ecanus," Castiel said, facing the autistic man once again. "But I'm afraid this time I don't think Father will be on my side."

"What could be worse than giving secrets to the enemy," Ecanus chuckled a little, but he sighed afterwards. "Although I do suppose what you have done goes a few notches higher on the totem pole than what I have done."

Castiel stared at the red and white checkers on the kite. Red, the color of blood and war and Hell, white the pure color of angels and all that was good. He fought for white, but most of the time he felt like he was in the red. He also always felt like the only one in the red.

"Father speed my friend," Ecanus placed his hand on Castiel's shoulder. The younger looking angel's brown eyes almost sparkled, almost, and his short brown hair blew a little with the slight wind. He had freckles like Dean. Somehow, Castiel didn't know how, but somehow that felt Castiel feel a bit better. "That's all I can say."

"I know." Castiel hated saying that, for he didn't know. He didn't know the outcome of this. There was a part of him that didn't want to. In that moment though, it was all he could think of to say.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam sat at one of the many desks in the bunker. His mind had wandered along with the hours he'd gone without sleep. The days he'd gone without sleep, up thinking about how to save his brother. They were adding up and Sam was in a haze.

"_Admit it Sam," _the voice of the deceased Kevin Tran rang through Sam's head and Sam could've sworn that Kevin was standing before him now. A disappointed look on his face. "_You couldn't stand the thought of leaving him behind either."_

"Shut up Kevin." Sam had never said those words to the Prophet in real life, but now Sam was sleep deprived and quite frankly, annoyed with his own head.

"_You just don't want to admit I'm right," _the hallucination of Kevin said. "_Do you Sam? I'm right, admit it."_

"I said shut up Kevin!" Sam said, a bit louder than before.

"_Because without Dean," _he stepped closer, leaning his hands on the table until his knuckles went white. "_You'd be alone, a sniveling mess, a miserable bastard. Is that what you want Sam? To be a miserable bastard all alone in this big place? No! That's why you're seeing me, that's why you've gone days without sleep. Because admit it, you're just as afraid of being alone as Dean is!"_

"Go away!" Sam exclaimed.

"_Because if you were alone," _Sam looked up to see Kevin now, the hallucination of him had its eyes burnt out like he had when he died. "_You'd end up dead like me!"_

Sam gasped and immediately pulled himself out of his trance. The hallucination of the dead Prophet was gone and Sam was once again alone. He wiped at his mouth, some drool had appeared. He also rubbed at his eyes and temples. He jumped when he heard a rap on the doorframe.

"I'm going to bed," Dean said. "You should too Sammy. You look dead."

If only he knew.

"Oh," Sam stammered a bit. "Yeah, sure Dean."

"Goodnight Mr. Comatose." Dean said as he walked off towards his room.

"I thought that was Cas' title." Sam forced a chuckle and stood from the desk. He looked at the spot where "Kevin" had placed his ghostly pale hands and a shiver ran up Sam's spine when he left the room and turned off the lights. He really did need more sleep.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Night fell in Heaven as well and the stars twinkled. Belphagor stood with Cathar at the head of the jail, guarding. The angel's patience had grown thin. The prisoner's trial had been postponed once again due to a disagreement among the Council and Belphagor was forced once again to waste his evening guarding the Scribe of Heaven. No matter, he'd given the Scribe a pen and paper, enough to occupy him the whole evening it seemed too because he hadn't heard a peep out of him since then.

"Did you hear that?" Cathar asked when Belphagor heard something drop in one of the back cells.

"Yes," Belphagor said. "I'll go, stay here."

Belphagor trudged back to Metatron's cell and saw the Scribe casually sitting on his bed and smirking. The spare pencil he'd given him had fallen to the ground and rolled away from him.

"What brings you to my humble abode?" Metatron asked.

"Very funny," Belphagor replied. "I wanted to make sure you weren't doing anything stupid like trying to escape."

"Oh no my friend," Metatron came close to the cell door and smirked again. "Not yet at least."

"What—" Belphagor exclaimed, but before he could finish his sentence he felt a sharp pain in his chest. An angel blade protruded from his chest and fresh blood spilled down his hands.

"See it's all written out," Metatron showed Belphagor what he'd been writing and the angel gasped. "Right here. Tsk, Tsk, and Belphagor you really should be more careful what you give a Scribe who's a prisoner."

Belphagor felt his breath being taken away before he could even call out to warn the other guard who was unaware of what had just occurred behind the double doors of Heaven's jail. Metatron watched as Belphagor sank to the ground, angel blade extracted Metatron whispered a few words, and Belphagor died quietly, no flash of light or anything. Just the way Metatron wanted it. Metatron looked down at what he'd been writing:

_And the fearless guard fell. Blood oozing from his chest and life gone from his vessel. The equally, but slightly more fearless hero, Metatron, escaped quietly through the bars and assumed the position of Belphagor. _

Metatron did just that. Morphing into that of Belphagor and making sure the body was disposed of somewhere it wouldn't be found for awhile. Metatron, now disguised, walked out of the double doors and Cathar looked over.

"We're switching shifts," Metatron said to Cathar and started walking off, hoping for a swift and once again quiet escape. "You may go."

Cathar nodded once and started to walk off, but not before he noticed "Belphagor's" hand dripping with fresh blood. He stopped.

"What the—" he said.

Metatron knocked him out as well and continued his escape, but the alarms blared and his walk turned into a fast run. He left Cathar lying on the ground, out cold and ran off into the outskirts of the Seventh Realm of Heaven, the top layer. All of Heaven's angels were in a frenzy looking for the escapee. Angels flew everywhere, searching, but to no avail. Metatron watched from the shadows and slowly made a break for it. Diving down from Heaven to earth in one swift move. Once safely on earth and in the dark once again he looked up at the sky above and smirked before writing one last sentence down:

_The hero has returned and he is determined to raise Hell._

**Read and Reviews are very much appreciated if you can!**

**So Metatron has escaped! Oh No! **

**And what did Castiel do?**

**Will Dean ever pick up the pieces?**

**And will Sam come to terms with everything as well?**

**More to come soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A flash of white, splattered blood and screams, Dean awoke from that. His dreams had begun to haunt him terribly and he wished, God he wished so hard, that there was a way to make them stop. It was as if he was sleeping with ghosts, ghosts that wouldn't shut up. They were ghosts that would ravage him forever if he did any less than tear his own head off. He took a deep breath and looked around, suddenly aware of his surroundings. He was in the bunker once again. He had been ever since yesterday when he'd been working on the Impala. He'd managed to get absolutely no sleep that night, but being a hunter he knew that was an almost daily occurrence. He and Sam had sometimes gone days without sleep in between cases or personal catastrophes. Speaking of Sam, he'd mentioned something to Dean about a case the evening before. He didn't want to flounder and Dean didn't want to either. They both knew what happened to hunters who floundered.

The sun was high in the sky signaling that it was afternoon and Dean had slept way longer then he'd planned. He ran his fingers through his sweaty hair and licked his lips. They were so dry. His mouth felt dry, like he'd slept for centuries. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and sighed deeply. Titan slept in the sunniest corner of the room. It was when the hound was asleep that Dean saw the softer side of him, otherwise Titan was constantly alert. Dean ran a few fingers across his lips, they were cracked too. He grunted as he lifted himself up from his bed, his prison, it seemed to be an appropriate name for it now. Dean padded to the bathroom barefoot and turned on the light. The cool tile felt good on his feet. The fluorescent bulb sparked to life and lit up the giant bathroom, far too big for just one man, but Dean wasn't even considering sharing with anyone.

Dean turned on the faucet to the sink and cold water poured out of it. He cupped his hands to catch the cool liquid and poured it on his face. He sputtered and spit out the water that had gotten into his mouth before looking up at the mirror at his reflection. He leaned a hand on the glass and touched his stubble with the other. He would be the first to admit he looked rough. His facial hair was borderline unruly, borderline. It was still publicly acceptable for now. His hair was caked with sweat and grease, but that never bothered him. He had dark circles under his eyes, as per usual. He leaned in closer to the reflective surface and looked into those deep green eyes of his. There were black lines, black veins, not red. They were fading in color, but still they were black. Dean touched a small nick on his chin. It had scabbed over and scarred already, but when he touched it he remembered:

_Dean and Crowley stood in the shadows. It was half past midnight in the rough part of town. Surely if they were anybody else they'd have been mugged or attacked already, but no one had dared thus far. In fact the street itself had been fairly quiet for the entire duration of their time there. Crowley's eyes were trained on a nearby bar. _

_ "Beauty ain't she," Crowley was referring to the blonde woman sitting near the window. She couldn't have been more than twenty five and she was laughing with a very nice looking gentleman. She was wearing blue jeans that fit her perfectly and a black tank top. The street lights blocked most of Dean's view, but he nodded and agreed with Crowley. "You know what to do. Let's see what you can do with that ass, Squirrel."_

_ Dean's eyes went from green to black in two point five seconds and he gripped the First blade within his jacket pocket. He felt the power from it rise to his fingertips and he shivered a little at the feeling. He waited a moment until he saw the woman exit the bar, bidding goodnight to the man with her and walking off alone. Her perfect blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders. _

_ "Scuse me miss," the woman jumped when she turned around and met Dean's normal green eyes. "But it's awfully late for a woman like you to be walking home alone isn't it?"_

_ "Oh," she said. "Believe me sir I make this trek all the time, but thank you for your concern."_

_ "C'mon," Dean walked closer to her, shrugging one hand out of his jacket. "Please. It wouldn't feel right on my conscience if I let you walk home alone at this time of night. Please, let me walk you home?"_

_ "I mean," she smiled a little. "If you feel so inclined to then I guess you may."_

_ "Great," Dean chuckled. "Lead the way then."_

_ The woman led Dean down the sidewalk a ways and he smirked when he looked back at Crowley then kept his eyes fixed on the back of her head. They walked for awhile until Dean started talking again, but only after he pushed her against the wall._

_ "Excuse me," she asked. "But what are you doing?"_

_ "You're very pretty," Dean smirked as his hands traveled up her sides and one rested on her hip. He leaned in close to her neck. His nose brushing against the back of her ear. He took in the smell of her hair, her shampoo smelled expensive. "So very pretty…"_

_ "Get off of me you creep!" she yelled and pushed Dean off. His grip was strong though and he pushed her right back into the hard brick wall behind them. His hand made its way into her pocket and he pulled out her ID. He kept one strong hand on her mouth so she couldn't speak. Her screams came out muffled and her eyes were wide._

_ "Lisa Lowery," he recited as he looked at her driver's license. "Age twenty six, I was one year off."_

_ "Y-Yeah," her breaths were shaky when he took his hand off her mouth. "What's it to yah, yah freak?"_

_ "Oh I just wanna know who'll be screaming," Dean pulled out the blade. "When I do this."_

_ Lisa's eyes were bloodshot wide and she tried to scream, but the sound wouldn't come. She tried to fight Dean off; she punched at him on the ground causing the first blade to nick his chin. He grumbled and cursed when she did that. Finally a scream pierced through the night air, followed by two more, then three._

_ "Shut up," Dean grabbed her collar and she shook as she stared into his now black eyes. "You stupid bitch."_

_ Dean sunk the First Blade into her chest and she barely had time to make another sound before a choking sound came out of her and she slumped over. Her eyes rolled back in her head and blood dripped from her chest. Her heart ceased to beat and her lungs to breathe. She was limp and dead. Dean felt her warm blood trickle over him and the blade as he removed it from her chest cavity with sickenly wet sounds following. _

_ "Nasty one that was," Crowley's voice echoed behind Dean he spun around. "Put up a hell of a fight. If it were me, I'd have put her down already."_

_ "Shut your mouth," Dean snapped. "And help me hide the damn body."_

Dean shook. He actually trembled. He looked at himself in the mirror and a sick feeling settled in his gut. He never called women "stupid bitches". He never killed humans. He never…went dark side. He felt sick. He felt confused. He felt consumed by sudden anguish. He blinked and looked back down; he'd left the faucet running.

He jumped. He saw blood, gallons of human blood coming out of the running faucet. He swallowed and jumped back away from the sink. He looked at his hands; they were covered too, stained with it. He heard her screams again, flashes of white, flashes of red, flashes of black. Strong flashes of black. He heard his heart pounding like when he'd had ghost sickness and Lilith had tortured him.

Ba boom

Ba boom

BA BOOM

**BA BOOM**

It grew louder and louder until Dean covered his ears and he felt it. He felt his heart in his ears. He felt her screams, her pain, and her blood. He felt everything. He felt ashamed.

"Dean," Sam knocking on the door pushed Dean back into reality and there he stood in his bathroom, faucet running but with water. Hands clean of blood. His heart suddenly seeming nonexistent and his eyes stuck on himself in the mirror. "Dean, you alive in there?"

"Y-Yeah Sammy," Dean said, shutting off the faucet and opening the door. "I'm alive."

"Ok," Sam gave Dean a once over, deciding he looked rough, but he also decided to let it go. "So get this. They just exhumed a body from a local river. Apparently it's been down there for a few months, but it's been drained of all its blood."

Sam turned on the TV in Dean's room and the local news showed the pictures of the river and its surrounding area. It wasn't too far from the bunker. They could make it in less than an hour.

"Fine," Dean said. "Let's go."

"Dean," Sam stopped him. "You good?"

"What do you mean of course I'm good?" Dean scoffed and pushed past Sam, sitting down on the edge of the bed and putting on his boots.

"You know what I mean Dean," Sam replied almost sternly. "I mean if you wanna sit this one out that's fine by me?"

"No thanks "mother"," Dean stood and shrugged on his jacket. "Besides, wouldn't wanna miss out on all the action now would I?"

"Whatever you say Dean," Sam turned off his television and Titan opened one eye, his ear perking up at the jingle of Dean's keys. "But I'm serious I mean you just kinda went off the deep end and I mean way off the deep end for awhile. Maybe it'd be good to just—"

"Shotgun," Dean said. "Needs to shut his cakehole. C'mon Titan, you wanna go for the ride?"

Dean whistled for the hound and he sprung up from the carpet faster than a cat on a hot tin roof.

"_Hell yes," _Titan barked. "_No pun intended of course Dean."_

"Dick." Dean smirked and motioned for Sam and Titan to follow him.

"_Ass." _Titan replied.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"This is rather unfortunate," Matthias, a Seraph, said to Castiel who stood over the bodies of Cathar and Belphagor. The two angels had been laid to rest almost immediately following the incident at the jail. "I am sorry Castiel."

"Belphagor and Cathar were dear friends of mine," Castiel couldn't think of anything else to say once again. "They will be missed."

Matthias nodded and walked off towards the other Seraphs who had agreed to help in the deliverance of the bodies. Castiel sighed and walked into the jail straight to Metatron's cell. The door was left open and not a sign of life was to be seen. Castiel looked around the small containment room and his expression went cold. He rifled through the unmade cot hoping for some knowledge on how Metatron managed to escape, but nothing was found. He quickly scanned the rest of the cell; he even looked under the bed, but still found nothing. He saw something though, out of the corner of his eye. It was carved into the wall.

"_If Heaven won't have me, I'll have to raise Hell"_

Castiel traced the words that were carefully etched out on the wall. He glared and furrowed his brows. His mouth opened like a feral dog growling and he angrily yelled. Castiel's breath came out heavy as he laid eyes on the carving again and strode with a purpose out of the jail. He laid eyes on Matthias and the younger Seraph swallowed hard.

"Alert the Council of this if they're not already aware and Father knows they should be," Castiel said. "I know where Metatron has gone and he must be stopped."

"Yes Castiel." Matthias bowed his head and flew off into the Heavens.

"Raise Hell," Castiel said to himself. "Not on my watch."

With that, Castiel took off down to earth.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"Alright Titan," Dean said to the hound in the backseat. "Either go invisidog or turn into a human. We're not the K9 Unit."

"_Sure thing," _Titan silently morphed into his human form. His eyes still shone with Heavenly fire though. "That better?"

"Much better," Dean nodded and grabbed his fake ID. "C'mon you two."

Sam nodded and grabbed his as well. He tossed Titan the one they'd had made for him by Jody Mills. Who had remarked beforehand that it broke all kinds of code and laws for her, a police officer, to be doing it, but she hadn't complained ever since. Titan pocketed the ID and straightened the tie he'd managed to "morph" onto his body as well.

The trio approached the crime scene and flashed their fake IDs. The cop, after a moment, let them pass under the tape and approach the body. The medical examiner and the CSI unit were still all over her.

"Hell of a way to die ain't it?" Dean asked the cop.

"And who are you three exactly?" A finicky police officer, just what the doctor ordered.

"FBI." Sam said for Dean and he along with Titan flashed their badges.

"The hell is the FBI doing here," the cop asked. "It's just a murder."

"Similar cases in a town nearby," Sam replied. "Can't be too careful. Who was the victim?"

"A hell of a young lady that's who," the cop replied with a small sigh as he readjusted his hat. "Her name's Lisa Lowery. Twenty six years old, just outta college too. She's been missing for six months. Until now."

Lisa Lowery? Dean's blood went ice cold.

"Anything unusual about her death?" Sam asked, stepping closer to her body. Titan did as well. All Dean wanted to do right now was run.

"_Help me hide the damn body."_

That sentence echoed in his mind, like another ghost. Hell bent on destroying him.

"She was stabbed by something strange," the cop explained. "No kind of entry wound we've ever seen before and nothing to test. It's as if the killer drained her dry."

Drained her dry alright. Dean gulped. He could feel the blood now, on his fingertips.

"Something wrong with your friend over there?" the cop asked Sam and Sam stared at Dean with confusion. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost and not the kind they dealt with.

"Oh don't mind him," Sam lied, he'd gotten better at that over the years. "He had a dear friend with the same name. She died in a freak accident too. That name it just, does weird things to him."

"I see," the cop gave Sam a strange look, but decided to question no further. "Well he looks as if he's about to pass out. You might wanna sit down there buddy."

"Yeah," Dean managed to squeak out. "I mean yeah. I should uh; I should go do that then, yeah."

Dean was rambling, but what else could he say? There before him lay the woman he'd slain that night with Crowley. The woman whose blood lay on his hands. He felt as though his lungs were crawling up his throat and the flashes of red and black returned. He stumbled to the Impala and threw the driver's seat door open. He collapsed in it. He cupped his hand around his mouth and sucked in a shaky breath. He ran his fingers in a circle around his lips like he so often did when he was nervous. He felt his heart pound again. He felt it loud and clear this time just like in the bathroom.

"Hello Dean," Castiel popped into the back seat and Dean jumped again, spinning around to meet the angel's gaze. "Something has come up and we need to talk."

**Read and Reviews are majorly appreciated!**

**So Dean's a psycho? At least he was, but will his demons ever stop haunting him?**

**Will Castiel catch Metatron before he does anything drastic?**

**And what exactly is Metatron up to?**

**More to come soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After a quick de-briefing from Castiel that the matter at hand he wanted to discuss was indeed of extreme and immediate importance, Dean, Titan, Sam, and Castiel all rode in the Impala to the nearest diner in search of food and hopefully answers. Titan decided to stay in the car, in his hound form, and take another nap. Something Dean was desperately wanting right now. He was almost jealous of the hound's ability to sleep peacefully, since he couldn't anymore. Sam ordered a house salad, Dean a burger, and Castiel a burger as well. The waitress smiled, taking their orders and walking off.

"Metatron has escaped Heaven's jail." Castiel kept his voice low and Dean choked on his drink.

"When," Dean asked. "More importantly though, how?"

"One of my dear friends and his guard Belphagor," Castiel explained, ignoring the drink in front of him. "Gave him his escape unknowingly. He gave him a piece of paper and a pencil in hopes of easing Metatron's supposed boredom. He used the paper and the pencil to write his escape down. He used the powers Father gave him to get away."

"Damn it," Dean cursed and gave a deep sigh, he was trying to take his mind off of where they'd just been. "Do you have any idea where MegaDousche is now?"

"Somewhere on earth," Castiel replied. "Although his exact location is unknown. He could have done anything from changed his appearance to concealed his grace. The Council has been alerted, but they can only do so much and there's only so much they're willing to do. The rest I hate to say Dean will have to be left to us."

"Great," Sam muttered under his breath and leaned in back in the booth. "As usual."

"We'll find this asshole Cas," Dean said. Their food arrived and Sam immediately started to dig in as did Castiel. "For all of our sanity's sake."

Dean looked down at his burger. It was the first one he'd eaten since his transformation. In fact it was the first time he'd felt so hungry in his life. He took the first bite and it was if he could taste all of it. Every molecule electrified his mouth and Dean started to feel more alive than ever. Castiel looked over at him and observed that he was eating. That was good.

"You're healing," Castiel said and Dean stopped mid-bite to look at the angel. "Good. Your lack of appetite until now was worrying me."

"Ok mother," Dean rolled his eyes, but in reality something inside of him was glad that Castiel was worried about him. "The kids are all right now."

"The faster you two stop flirting for two seconds and eat," Sam spoke up. "Then the faster we can get to the bunker and figure out how to find Metatron."

Dean swallowed a little too hard and let out a few coughs that sounded more like choking sounds. Castiel's face remained the same. He showed no response to Sam's statement. In fact, the more Dean looked over at the angel, the more Castiel seemed pained. He seemed older somehow, arthritic almost. He sat stiffly, not relaxed at all. Dean was going to ask, but he chalked it up to Metatron's escape and left it at that. The trio ate in silence for the remainder of their meal and once they were finished they paid the check and got into the Impala. Castiel flew off silently and Dean, Sam, and Titan made their way to their home base for research.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"Oh Metatron," Metatron paced back and forth in woods nearby the bunker, concealed from all Angelic means of finding him, he was talking to himself and laughing. "You are so smart. No wonder Father picked you for your job after that screw up Ecanus."

The Scribe paced around his little hideaway. A fire burned bright in the center. There wasn't much to it. He was mostly surrounded by desolate woods and pieces of paper he'd managed to materialize. Most of the papers were covered in giant Xs and had various plans and methods written down on them. Metatron stared at them. He yelled in rage and gathered the papers in his hands, he ran over to the fire and threatened to toss the papers in it, but something caught his eye. The fire itself. It reminded him of a distant place, a place he'd never been before but had written down every word of every angel who had been there's words about it. A place that he knew countless spells, incantations, whatever he wanted to call them, about sending someone there.

As the flames flickered in his eyes he lowered the papers in his hands. What better way to enact his revenge?

"Oh Metatron," Metatron smirked. "You are not only smart. You are a genius."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean sat in the library, researching about angels. Dean sighed and rubbed a hand across the stubble on his chin. When Kevin was alive this had been his job. Not that it mattered much now. Dean's eyes strained with the words laid out before him in the old dusty textbook. He sighed and closed the book, deciding to pick up the research on Scribes of Heaven later. He pushed the book aside, knocking another one over onto the floor. The book spilled open to a page Dean hadn't read before. The picture was gruesome, but familiar. It was the face of Cain. Dean immediately became intrigued and picked the book up. He set it in front of him and begun to read:

_Knights of Hell. Hell's most fearsome weapon. They are your above average demon, with advanced speed, strength, and urge to kill combined. They are considered far more dangerous than anything Hell has to offer. _

The picture of Cain was something nightmare worthy. In it, he looked the same as he'd looked when Dean and Crowley had met him, but his eyes were jet black and in his hand he held the First Blade. It was coming down on some poor soul's neck, taking off his head. Cain's eyes made a shiver run up Dean's spine. He'd shared the same look. There were two other pictures, one of Abbadon in her true form. Her name was printed under the photograph of the painting. There was one of a number of Hell Knights marching, all holding polished blades and following Cain, the First Blade burning hot in his hand. Dean knew how that felt.

The book went on to describe their creation, their purpose, and so on. Dean almost shook as he took in the words. They seemed to almost dance off the page, like if he stared too long at the text it would reach out and choke him around the neck. His chest felt tight and his breathing shallow.

_To cure a Knight of Hell is not a common task, but it's not unheard of._

Dean paused to take in a breath.

_In fact the most famous instance of this…_

"Dean," Sam's voice broke Dean from his reading. "They're mentioning the Lowery case on TV; you wanna see what they found?"

Dean swallowed hard. If he protested, Sam might get suspicious. If he didn't, he could keep that secret buried longer than Lisa Lowery herself. Dean nodded and looked over at the book one last time. He closed it carefully and stood from the table. He walked over to where Sam stood and the pair made their way to the living room.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Castiel's back ached. His wings felt like they were slowly, ever so slowly, being picked away even though they remained intact. He'd flown to the Fifth Realm in Heaven, Elysium. Many dead angels made their home there after their demises. Castiel was hoping to see at least one familiar face. Someone to distract him from the pain, but no one appeared when he'd landed. The angel sighed and sat down in the long and green flowing grasses of Elysium and carded his fingers through said grass. It was a peaceful place at least, in a world full of chaos right now.

"Arthritic like pain," a familiar voice said behind Castiel. "Shooting through you like a claw scratching its way up your spine. Pale complexion. Cassie what have you done?"

"Hello Gabriel." Castiel said without meeting eyes with his brother. His look at the diner remained on his face.

"I was there when this was done the first time," Gabriel came closer, standing by his brother and looking down at him. "Do Dean-O and Sammy boy know about this?"

"No," Castiel replied. "And they're not going to ever find out."

"I'm not so sure about that Castiel," Gabriel said, a look of warning shot through his golden eyes. "When you start going downhill they'll notice. Dean will notice first, he always does. If this is your attempt at protecting the brothers then I have to say I'm disappointed."

Castiel stood immediately and glared at his brother. A stance that said he was ready to fight back at any time.

"You'd have done the same," Castiel yelled. "Would you not? If it was someone you cared about!"

"Down boy," Gabriel's wings lowered, submissively. "This is a peaceful Realm. Yes Castiel, I may have at one time. If it came to that, but deep down you and I both know this is wrong. This will only end in pain. Pain for all of you. You know that."

Castiel stared at Gabriel, a completely empty look in his eyes, no emotion whatsoever.

"But," Gabriel sighed. "You don't care. Heaven help you brother."

Castiel flew off, the pain shooting through his wings and much like Gabriel had described: like a claw scratching its way up his spine.

**Read and Reviews are always appreciated and encouraged!**

**So, will the brothers and Castiel ever find Metatron?**

**And what is Metatron's master plan?**

**What was Dean about to read before Sam interrupted him?**

**And I think the number one question on everyone's mind is: What did Castiel do?**

**More to come soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/n: It's been awhile i know, i was traveling and occasionally my elbows give me problems and i can't type. I'm back now. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 6

Dean sat in the bunker's living room. He was still recovering from the news the previous day about the woman who'd been found dead, the woman he'd killed. Dean knew it was too early to be drinking, but that'd never stopped him before. Even now, he sat feet up on the coffee table and body reclined back on the couch, drinking a Pabst Blue Ribbon. He could almost taste every single ingredient in the alcohol. It was that kind of mood.

"Dean," Sam's voice broke the silence. "I think you'll be happy to hear about this?"

"Aw Sammy," Dean smirked playfully and stood up, walking over to his brother who sat in the makeshift dining room. "They finally made pills to cure your bitchyness?"

"Shut up," Sam turned his laptop towards Dean and Dean set his beer down on the dining room table. "So get this, three different motorists have all witnessed a man walking down the main highway at odd hours."

"So what," Dean took a sip of his beer, leaning his head back to get every last drop. "Probably some old hobo?"

"The man is described as wearing a city worker's uniform covered in blood and torn," Sam explained. "And here's the kicker, he's reported to disappear before their eyes. He's already caused a number of accidents."

"Ok," Dean wiped his chin of the beer he'd spilled. "Now I'm interested."

"It's in Manassas, Virginia," Sam showed Dean the details. "If we leave now we could make it by evening time."

Dean nodded and Sam gathered up his laptop and pushed in the chair to the table. He turned to leave, but then paused a moment to look back at his brother.

"Are you sure we should just leave like this," Dean asked. "What with Metadouche on the loose and all, I mean wouldn't we be the biggest walking targets?"

"Cas said he'd handle it," Sam replied, purposely misquoting Castiel. Truth is, Sam had been looking for any excuse to get out of the bunker ever since his encounter with the "Kevin" his brain had produced. The manifestation had left him with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. "I think he'll be fine for a few days."

Dean was skeptical, but he knew better than to argue with his brother nowadays. It'd been nothing but turmoil and nightmares lately. They had been bickering and fighting like Tom and Jerry, but with less dynamite and more words. Sam left Dean alone in the room, television on, and an empty bottle of Pabst in the older hunter's clenched hand. He felt bad for leaving the Metatron search to Castiel, but like Sam had said: Castiel would handle it. He was perfectly capable and besides it would only be for a few days. Dean gazed at the television one more time, the image of the woman he'd killed burning into his retinas, and then he slammed the off button on the remote he was sure he'd broken it. Dean walked away from the living room and tossed his empty glass into the hollow trash can, shattering it.

"_How appropriate." _He thought to himself, he'd been nothing but shattered lately.

He whistled for Titan and the hound lifted his head and stretched before bounding over next to his master and looking up at him. Titan's eyes shone once as he prepared to speak, but once he clearly knew he was getting no explanation from Dean he simply followed him to his room where the hunter begun to pack for the long journey ahead.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The ride to Manassas, Virginia had been long, but well worth it when Sam, Dean, and Titan had finally made it to the motel. Dean stepped out and stretched his legs momentarily before they went in to rent a room, Sam grumbled and tossed his laptop bag over his shoulder, Titan slinked out of the back seat and yawned.

"Next time," Sam said, fanning in front of his nose. "Don't feed that dog before you put him in the car."

"_Hey," _Titan said. "_Long car rides cross country without an explanation makes me nervous which in turn makes me gassy."_

"Hey well if Sammy ate a bean burrito," Dean laughed at the hound's statement. "You two would make the perfect traveling pair."

"Not the time Dean," Sam rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna get us checked in. Don't talk to strangers."

"Stop babying me," Dean said. "I've got a big fierce Angelhound with me, nobody's gonna mess with our stuff or me—"

Dean looked over as Titan licked every square inch of his body, not paying attention to anything Dean was saying.

"_What?" _the hound looked up in confusion at the sudden silence and Dean's prying eyes.

"Yeah," Sam chuckled. "Sure yah do."

While Sam walked off to get their room and keys, Dean lingered near the front of the motel parking lot. A ways away from the Impala, but close enough to keep an eye on her, the sun was just beginning to set. The occasionally vehicle zoomed past Dean and Titan, who was currently sniffing the ground nearby, down the country road. There was a small town nearby whose roads led to Nokesville, Virginia and to Washington DC, the nation's capital. A place crawling with feds and a place Dean and Sam tried to avoid at all costs considering their occupation went against numerous federal laws. Sure, they had met a few "good cops" as they'd come to call them: Sheriff Jody Mills, a dear friend of the brothers, that one female cop whose name had escaped Dean for the time being, even Henrickson, a former FBI agent had been their side near the end. But, all in all, the two usually avoided anything that had to do with any federal agents of any sorts.

Dean sighed and kicked a rock in the dirt. He wondered if it had been the right move to leave the bunker and Castiel alone on his search for the escaped Metatron. He felt as though he was throwing Castiel to the wolves on this one. Something had been off about the angel ever since Dean had been put back into his right state of mind. Now Dean didn't believe in coincidences, but something smelled fishy about this one. Then again, God only know what Castiel had been going through ever since Dean had died…again. Dean decided he wasn't going to delve too deeply into it, but he also knew there was no way in Hell he could stop thinking about it.

"Dean," Sam broke the elder Winchester out of his trance. "I got our room, let's go interview some witnesses before the sun goes down completely."

Dean looked over at Titan who was already running over to Sam; he morphed into a human halfway through his running and stopped at the trunk of the car to assist Sam with the bags. Dean looked up at the sky one last time, as if he were making sure the stars were still there and he wasn't back where he was before, and strode over to his brother, picking up a bag and walking towards their room.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Castiel had scoured the woods multiple times, looking for signs. The Winchesters had left him; the lights had been out in the bunker when Castiel had landed outside to update them. He couldn't blame them though; he'd witnessed firsthand how hunters got when they were idle for too long. Castiel grimaced when he landed, steadying himself with a hand on the dirt floor of the forest. The sun had almost set and pretty soon he'd be working with total darkness. Castiel was used to the darkness, he knew that firsthand too. He just wished he'd started earlier, he'd never find Metatron in this.

Castiel cursed under breath, a habit he'd picked up from Dean, Dean. Castiel thought of him every time the pain radiated through his body. He thought of the outcome, the consequences, but he didn't care anymore. It would be worth it in the end. It was worth it now. Castiel balanced and propelled himself upward into flight. He tried to stay in motion, but it hurt too much. He landed again, this time thankfully more gracefully. He turned his head from left to right, listening for anything at all. When he heard nothing, he moved on.

He'd always liked forests best out of all of Father's earthly creations, besides humans. He liked their strength throughout the storm, how even if one tree fell, or even if all of them did, the forest always grew back if it was without human interruption, he liked how forests were seemingly endless even though like everything else, even inevitably him, came to an end. He always lived by the creed of the forest: "Stand Tall, Be Strong, and Never Give Up."

Boy had he disobeyed the last part of the creed.

Castiel stopped suddenly; he realized that there was indeed one issue with the forest right now. He didn't know why he hadn't realized it earlier.

It was too quiet.

Castiel retracted his angel blade and spun around in a circle, prepared to strike. The blade felt heavy in his palm, his lips were pursed, prepared to utter curses at whatever should come his way. That was when he heard it.

_"Help me brother!" _

_"Brother, help me!"_

It was Gadreel's voice.

That was impossible, Gadreel was dead.

_"Castiel, save me! Please!" _

Balthazar's voice rang out in the darkness, after Castiel had flown to the source of Gadreel's voice: nothing. Castiel could feel his heart rate increasing.

"_Castiel!" _

Anna

Castiel flew there, he found nothing.

_"Dammit Castiel, help me!"_

Uriel

Castiel found nothing again.

_"Cas!"_

Gabriel

Castiel's heart was pounding. His back felt heavy from the flying. He was finding nothing.

_"Damn it Cas! Cas!"_

Dean

That was the final straw, Castiel lay on the dirt, pained, tired, from the flying the voices. The awful voices haunting him. He let out a cry of agony as the voices became louder, they surrounded him. Castiel covered his head like one would during an earthquake, he shook a little.

_"Cas!"_

_"Damn it Cas!"_

_"Castiel!"_

_"Save me Castiel! Why didn't you save me?!"_

The voices were eventually drowned out by only one.

"_I am coming for you Castiel."_

Metatron.

Castiel gritted his teeth as the voices of his dead, his mistakes, and his living faded away slowly. Castiel stood, slowly, shaking. His angel blade had been abandoned beside him and he swallowed hard as he picked it up. The forest had returned to its natural state at night. The moon shone brightly now through the tops of the trees, the leaves rustled, an owl hooted in the distance. An uneasy feeling was in the pit of Castiel's stomach.

"Not if I get to you first," Castiel said, glaring into the darkness, hoping wherever Metatron was he saw it and it burned him to his very core. "And trust me, I will."

Castiel flew away, his wing aching.

A devious smile and eyes followed his flight out of the forest.

**Read and Reviews are appreciated! I like to know how I'm doing.**

**Love it? Hate it so far? Anything you'd like to see? Let me know!**

**So, is Dean imagining things or does his redemption have to do with Castiel?**

**What was up with Castiel in the forest? **

**Will they find Metatron? And will the brothers complete their hunt successfully?**

**Find out soon, when I install the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I am so sorry for the sparatic updates guys. A lot has been going on lately and I've been neglecting this site because the things that have come up are far more important first and foremost, but I will try to update this story more frequently. I start college soon so ultimately that's my priority and not this, I have a condition known as "tennis elbow" in both of my elbows which involves a lot of pain and random flare ups so I never know when it's going to happen: once again, making it difficult to type. But I will fulfill my promise to finish this story before October (the Season 10 Premiere), now then, on with it.**

Chapter 7

"So you're saying this man he just," Sam paused a moment, hoping to bait the interviewee into answering him in the way the brothers had hoped. "Disappeared before your eyes?"

"Yessiree," Gloria Burns, the woman Sam and Dean had decided to interview last. She was the only one of the witnesses who hadn't seemed to go completely mad after their accidents. Mr. Robert Welch had been of no help to the brothers whatsoever. He'd only repeated exactly what the local police had told them and the other man, Mr. Paul Dawson, had proceeded to rock back and forth a little in his chair seemingly still scared out of his wits even though the accident had occurred the evening of three days prior. Gloria was the only one with a good head on her shoulders thus far. "One minute he was there, the next he wasn't. It was almost like magic."

"Magic you say," Sam replied. "Do you believe in magic Ms. Burns?"

"Why heaven's no young man I don't," Gloria shook her head and leaned back in her chair, setting down the tea she'd been drinking with the brothers had arrived on her doorstep flashing badges and demanding answers. "Ghosts however,"

Sam paused again. At least they were getting somewhere with this woman. He thought carefully about how to word his reply.

"What do you know about ghosts," Sam inquired. "If I may ask, that is, Ms. Burns?"

"Have you ever lived in the country young man?" Gloria asked Sam.

"No Ms. Burns," Sam chuckled a little, drinking from the cup full of coffee she'd given both him and Dean. Dean hadn't touched his yet, instead he'd done something Sam was shocked about, and he'd leaned back and listened to her speak, staying quiet as ever. "I can't say I've had the pleasure to do so."

"Lots of folks in these parts Agent Hurley," that had been the fake name Sam had given her. "They aren't used to going not even, but a mile up the road and not seeing a cross on the side of it. Death happens here every day and every night."

"I believe it," Sam said, coaxing her into saying more. This was just what they needed. "What, with all the winding roads and speeding drivers."

"Oh but the country holds her secrets young man," Gloria's eyes seemed to have this glimmer to them when she said that, Sam took notice. "Not everyone died of what the police say they did. Only they know and only He knows."

She pointed upwards with a shaky older hand and picked up her tea cup again; taking a drink and setting it back down.

"There is good and evil in this world young man," Gloria said, with that Dean was immediately taken back to that night. He could feel the shivers crawling up his back as he pinned that innocent young woman against the wall. He remembered the smell of her as he sniffed up her neck, the black of his eyes and the fear in hers. "And you can always tell good from evil by the ghost left behind."

Dean's eyes stared blankly over at Gloria. She met his for a moment, almost as if she were staring at the ghost Dean would someday become. He felt violated and he looked away, behind her then back out the window to the busy street. Sam decided to let out his frustration with his brother later.

"So you're saying this ghost you claim to have seen," Sam asked. "Was he evil?"

"Oh no young man this ghost was anything but evil," she replied, Sam noticed she seemed almost personally saddened by what she said next. "But he's had an evil thing done to him."

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"Really appreciated the lack of focus Dean," Sam snidely remarked to his brother as they were walking to the Impala. "Thanks for helping me out back there."

"Well genius whilst you were busy "ghost geeking" as I like to call it with granny in there," Dean cut him off before he could say more. "You didn't happen to notice the ever appropriate picture behind her."

"I was not "geeking" Mr. Zone-Out," Sam replied. "And what picture?"

"The late but great Mr. Edgar Burns," Dean explained as they approached the car. "Dressed to the hills in his work uniform…his city worker uniform had his arms around two other guys. One of which matches that of our supposed ghost. I happened to get the date too, early 90's. Which means the guy on his left; he's most likely still alive and kicking."

"So find him," Sam put two and two together. "And maybe we'll get some real answers."

"Bingo." Dean said as he closed the driver side door and Sam the passenger side, Dean started up the car and the pair drove off. Sam thought about giving Dean a hard time about focusing on the task at hand once again, but decided against it fearing at this point his brother would pull over the car and throw him out. He knew the probability of that was low, but hell, he didn't ever know what Dean was thinking nowadays.

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"Yeah we all worked for the city," Mr. Wade Perkins led the brothers into his living room, small shot of whiskey in hand. "We even worked on the same damn road too. What of it?"

"Well Mr. Perkins," Sam calmly explained. "Recently there was a new crew hired to fix that stretch road once again and numerous people have reported seeing the spirit of an old colleague of yours."

"Sonny the only spirits I believe in," Wade sat down in a rather worn armchair and held up his glass. "Is these ones."

Wade swallowed down the whiskey like it was nothing. Dean shook his head to clear his thoughts before he sat down across from Wade, on the equally as worn couch. Sam spoke first.

"Is there any possible explanation," Sam asked, ignoring Wade's previous comment about spirits. He took a moment to recall the name of the ghost; the police had informed his death to be the only one along that road that matched the description. "As to why the spirit of Thomas Thames would be haunting that road Mr. Perkins?"

"Hell, the old boy loved working on that thing," Wade laughed, a wheezy kind of laugh. "He was such a dear friend to us, maybe he figured we'd still be working there when he came back to visit?"

Dean knew he could only take this guy for so long, but something in Wade's eyes changed when he heard Thomas' name. He blinked, almost too much. He laughed more nervously. His fingers gripped the shot glass like it was keeping him afloat.

"Unless," Dean finally spoke up, Sam staring at him. "He wasn't always your good friend Mr. Perkins?"

"Whatchu talkin about son," Wade said, rather defensively. "Thomas was a good man, one of the best I've ever met. He had not a bad bone in his lanky little body. We were all friends. Good friends at that."

"Oh I don't deny that Wade," Dean scoffed sarcastically and laughed a little before looking back at Wade. "But Hell I mean even I've seen the best of friends suddenly break up, especially if money was involved. I mean I hear the city doesn't pay as much as they used to."

"If you're insinuating what I think you are boy," Wade's look turned almost vicious. "You've got another think coming."

"Do I," Dean smirked a little; he always knew when he'd hooked them. "Then tell me I'm wrong Wade. Tell me I'm wrong."

Wade and Dean stared at each other for awhile until Wade started to break. Dean knew he had him now. Wade's fists clenched and he sneered. He suddenly threw his glass and it shattered against the floor before him. Dean didn't even flinch.

"You don't know nothing," Wade yelled. "You feds are paid higher than any other of us city folk. You sit all cushy in your nice little offices and couches with your supermodel wives and your five figure salaries! We don't get paid shit compared to you!"

"I don't recall Thomas Thames being a fed," Dean said, calmly, more calmly than Sam was used to. "But I do require doing my research on your little buddy Wade, he seemed to be well liked by the boss man."

"Me and Edgar needed the money more." Wade said through clenched teeth, his muscles convulsing under dirty his wife beater tank top.

"So it was about money then." Dean said.

Wade was about to protest, but he could see now how Dean had hooked him. He had reeled him into to somewhere where he couldn't break free from the line. Wade sighed, leaning forward a bit and running a hand up from his face through his shaggy black hair.

"Edgar," Wade started to explain. "He had a condition."

Dean nodded as if to say: "go on."

"You know the big "C" as they call it," Wade explained. "Cancer. He wasn't paid enough as it was to begin with. He didn't have anything great to leave his wife with after he was inevitably going to kick the bucket. I had a wife and kids. Thomas he, he had nothing."

"Nothing?" Sam inquired.

"Thomas was just barely hitting thirty," Wade continued. "He was the new guy. Don't get me wrong, we liked the guy. He was a hard worker, smart as could be, heart of gold. We would've followed this guy to the end. We did. His end though, not ours. The boss man started taking a liking to Thomas though. He started offering him higher wage, for more labor of course and the man would do it. But he never once looked at us, the older guys, who'd worked their heart and soul off in this job long enough to wear their shoes thin with holes, and gave us the same offer. Only Thomas. Always only ever Thomas."

Wade stopped a moment and took a shaky breath.

"Needless to say Edgar and me, we didn't like it. Thomas was our dearest friend, but he was in our way. I'll admit that he was in our way in our eyes. So the first time we were working on that main road out there. The first night, we told Thomas the wrong time that we were starting at. We got him there early. Edgar he, distracted him while I got the mixer ready and started up. We'd dug a hole where we were putting in the rest of the road and together we beat him up and we…pushed Thomas into the hole. He yelled and yelled and screamed, but his cries fell on deaf ears. Our ears. I started up the mechanism for the cement mixer and it poured onto him like a waterfall. The last thing I remember seeing was his eyes, his terrified eyes and I heard one last cry and then he—"

Wade didn't have to say any more. Dean got the gist of what the men had done. Wade shook a little, face in his hand. He'd drowned in cement. Buried alive. One of Dean's least favorite ways to die, he'd sure done a lot of them.

"We told the boss we'd done overtime and we'd filled the hole ourselves," Wade finished his story. "He didn't seem to read too much into it. He paid us for that. He paid us for k-killing our friend. I felt so cold, so clammy, taking the check. But I did it anyway. We told him some lie about how Thomas had decided to leave town after he hadn't shown up to work in a few days. The boss believed us and for once he, he offered us the extra money and we took it."

"And look where it got you." Dean replied. He'd pictured every detail of Wade's story.

"My wife and kids lived a damn good life while they were around," Wade argued. "Edgar's wife is doing great ever since he died. She's living the life he'd have wanted for her!"

Sam and Dean took one look at each other and stood.

"We thank you for your time Mr. Perkins," Sam nodded. "And we do believe you've given us all of the information we needed thank you."

Sam and Dean started to walk off.

"Ain't yah gonna arrest me or something," Wade swallowed hard. "I mean I did just confess to murder?"

"We'll leave it to the professionals." Dean replied.

"But ain't ya'll the professionals?" Wade asked as the pair departed.

"Only on Tuesdays." Dean said with a small smirk, earning a look from Sam as the pair made their way from Wade Perkins' house to the Impala parked at the curb.

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"On Tuesday's Dean," Sam said in an accusatory manner. "Really, I thought we were over bringing that up?"

"Au Contraire Sammy," Dean replied as the two of them sat opposite each other in the motel room, cleaning guns and filling the ammo with salt rounds. "I thought it fit."

Sam sighed as he filled his weapon.

"Dean," Sam said. "We need to talk about this."

"About what exactly," Dean asked. "What did I say about chick flick moments Sam?"

"This is not a damn chick flick moment Dean," Sam raised his voice a bit; Titan lifted his head off the ground in response. The hound had been sleeping nearby them. "This is about you."

"Even worse." Dean rolled his eyes and stood, trying to walk away from Sam.

"Dean we can't just go on without talking about this," Sam grabbed his brother's shoulder, spinning him around to face him. "You were a demon for God's sake Dean, a demon for months. Then suddenly one day you're lying in bed and you wake up after Cas leaves for somewhere, fine. Doesn't that seem a bit suspicious to you?"

"If you're saying Cas did something stupid for me—" Dean said, growing angry.

"I'm sure he did," Sam exclaimed. "It's always him doing something stupid when it involves you Dean!"

Dean and Sam paused a moment, staring at each other. Dean knew what Sam was saying. Everything Castiel did that essentially risked his life, besides just being an angel in general, involved Dean. It made sense, the brothers were Castiel's charge. From what Dean understood about angel's charges they were sworn to protect them at all costs. For some reason Dean hadn't pegged yet though, Castiel always seemed to go the extra mile for him in particular.

"Are we gonna argue about this or are we gonna fill guns with salt?" Dean asked, his eyes narrowing and his shoulders tense from the debate. He pushed past Sam and back to his bed where he continued to load salt filled ammo into the barrel of his gun.

"You can't ignore this forever Dean," Sam warned him. "You know that."

"Right now," Dean replied, getting rather annoyed once again with his brother. "I'd like to run this case like we always do, like we always did, without all the family drama bullshit. Then maybe once we get back to home base you can convince me to talk. Maybe."

Sam's lip quivered in preparation to say something else, but he didn't. Instead he cocked his rifle and briskly walked out to the Impala to place it in the trunk, slamming the door behind him. Titan jumped a little when Sam did so and stood, stretched, then trotted over to Dean.

_"He just wants what's best for you Dean." _Titan reminded the elder brother, Dean stopped cleaning his gun to pet the dog behind the ears. Dean wanted to reply, but suddenly found that he couldn't find the words. So instead, he simply continued to scratch behind the hound's ears until Sam informed him it was time to leave.

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Dean and Sam stood at the top of the hill overlooking the scenic highway that had been closed by the city per a "safety request". In reality Sam had forged a phone call stating why it needed to be closed, claiming there was a potentially dangerous wild animal loose and he thought it would be in the best interest of the citizens including him to stay away. Once that was taken care of the brothers had carefully parked the Impala away from the scene and forged a path by foot to where they stood now. Titan crouched beside them, ready to strike at any time. Dean relied on his night vision whereas Sam had brought with him a pair of binoculars from the trunk and was watching the area.

"How long do you think it'll be before old man Thames makes his appearance?" Dean asked.

"Patience really isn't in your vocabulary is it Dean?" Sam replied.

"Bite me." Dean said.

Titan let out a collective sigh at the two brothers before a bug caught his attention instead, he snapped at it and caught it in his mouth before swallowing it. Dean grimaced when Titan looked back at him.

"Dean look," Sam pointed at the barren stretch of road, in the center of it appeared Thomas Thames, long dead and looking slightly pissed off. "I think that's our guy."

Dean nodded and cocked his shotgun, followed by Sam doing the same and Titan growling at the apparition.

"Titan, stand down," Sam said and the hound whined, sitting back down. "Nothing personal buddy, it's just we'll need you for backup in case something goes wrong."

Dean rubbed behind the hound's ear as Titan solemnly hunched his shoulders and sat back down.

"Let's go get this son of a bitch." Dean said and the brothers sprang forward, bounding down the hill as quietly as they could so as not to scare away Thomas. Dean motioned for Sam to take the back way around and Dean would take the front, they agreed to meet on either side of the ghost so that they'd have a better chance of vanquishing him. Dean stepped out of the darkness and just as he'd hoped Thomas' eyes turned to him.

"Hey there Thomas," Dean said, his voice almost echoing, the highway was so deserted. "How goes it?"

"Who are you," the ghost of Thomas said to Dean in an accusatory manner. "You don't work here!"

"Damn right I don't," Dean replied, stepping a bit closer. "But neither do you anymore, it's time to move on buddy."

"I'm not going anywhere," Thomas glared suddenly and started to advance on Dean. "Not until those assholes pay for what they've done!"

Dean dodged Thomas' attack with professional speed and landed on his butt in the dirt and like the ghost he was, Thomas disappeared moments later. Dean knew it was only a matter of time before he came back though. Sam had joined his brother, witnessing the showdown.

"Vengeful spirit," Dean shifted to look over at Sam, who was headed his way. "This is gonna be fun."

"We didn't have to take this case yah know?" Sam replied.

"Shut up and help me up," Dean grunted when Sam took hold of his hand and helped lift him to his feet. "Any way you can think of to kill this guy?"

"No I," Sam's eyes went wide. "Dean! Look out!"

Dean ducked just in time to allow Thomas to jolt past him, Thomas crackled like a bad television screen and disappeared again. He only gave Sam and Dean a few minutes to catch their breath before he started to throw things at them. Tools, small equipment, Dean and Sam took cover behind a nearby bulldozer.

"Ok," Dean said. "He's pissed. How do we kill him?"

"We can't burn his bones Dean," Sam stated. "They're buried under tons of cement. We don't have that kind of time."

Dean thought back to the interviewees. One of them in particular: Wade. He'd claimed Thomas had loved this job as much as life itself. Dean remembered the police reports, then Sam's research on Thomas. How he'd done almost every job on the construction site…except his favorite was…

Dean looked over at the forklift across from them and smirked a little. Sam gave his brother a worried look.

"Oh no," Sam said. "You are not suggesting what I think you are."

"Sammy," Dean patted his brother's shoulder. "How'd yah like to crash and burn a forklift?"

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The plan was simple. Dean was to distract Thomas while Sam drove the forklift into slight oblivion. Dean had almost said it was foolproof, but he hadn't wanted to jinx it so he'd kept his mouth shut. Sam took his position behind the forklift as Dean crept out from the shadows once again to face Thomas who was standing above the patch of concrete he'd been buried under, confused as to where his attackers had gone.

"Hey Tommy boy," Dean announced. "It's quitting time, works over!"

"No," Thomas growled. "Work's not over, not for me! Not after what those bastards did to me!"

"Thomas," Dean tried to plead with him. "Please. That was years ago. You have to move on."

"They will pay!" Thomas cried out and advanced on Dean. "And so will you!"

Dean muttered a string of curse words and took off running, avoiding littered tools in his path. He prayed Sam would be ready with the forklift any minute now, but the younger Winchester was having trouble getting it started.

"Damn it Sam!" Dean yelled as Thomas ran after him. "Hurry up!"

"I'm trying Dean!" Sam yelled back. "I've almost got it!"

Dean ran further and further, trying not to take off towards his brother's direction. Eventually though Dean tripped over a piece of concrete and landed on his hands and knees. He paused a moment for breath, but then found he was unable to get up. Thomas Thames had a ghostly hand around Dean's neck and was slowly depleting his oxygen. Dean choked, reaching his fingers into the gravel trying to push himself up and away, but to no avail. Thomas kept a firm hand on his trachea.

"S-Sammy now would b-be a good time as ever!" Dean rasped out.

Sensing his brother's distress, Sam started up the forklift faster than lightning. Thomas stopped choking Dean and looked back at what the younger brother was doing. Thomas' eyes went wide.

"No," Thomas cried out. "No! That's my job! Stop!"

Sam didn't stop, he drove the forklift faster and faster. Letting a trail of gas leak from the bottle he held next to him. Sam carefully drove with his knee and lit a match, before dropping it and jumped from the forklift, barrel rolling onto the ground below. He took off running, yelling for Dean to follow him and Dean did. Thomas Thames watched at the forklift went up in flames and screamed: No! repeatedly. Dean and Sam ran to take cover and found it just as Thomas' body and the forklift both burst into flames and the forklift exploded once said flames reached its engine. Sam and Dean looked up as the embers flew from the scene and thick black smoked poured up into the sky. The brothers looked at each other for a moment before Dean laughed.

"Well," he said. "We got him."

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Sam and Dean paid for their room and left that night. It was only a matter of time before someone reported the explosion and fire and they wanted to be as far away from all that as possible. Titan was in the back seat of the car, sighing contently in his sleep. Sam sat in the passenger seat, staring forward out the window and Dean drove, humming softly to the classic rock station playing on the radio.

"You can't avoid the topic forever Dean," Sam said, Dean knew exactly what he was referring to. "Eventually we're gonna have to talk about it."

Dean nodded in response, not glorifying Sam's statement with a verbal answer. Sam sighed and turned his head away, knowing it was better to let sleeping dogs lie for the time being. The brothers, with their long journey back to the bunker ahead of them, quietly drove on into the night.

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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Dean and Sam arrived back at the bunker faster than anticipated. Dean parked the Impala near the front in the gravel driveway and opened the back door for Titan. The hound hopped out and stretched before yawning and using his "angel mojo" as Dean called it, he disappeared before Dean's eyes probably into the bunker. Dean sighed and closed the back door, popped the trunk, and started to gather the weapons they needed to clean and fix. Sam let out a breath he was unaware he'd been holding and walked over to the front door, unlocking it and going inside. Dean soon followed.

The bunker was quiet except for the echo of Titan's paws somewhere in there. There were no signs of life, Castiel clearly hadn't stayed there in the brothers' absence, there was an empty water glass in the sink, but that had been Sam's before they'd left. Sam stood at the sink and ran water through the glass, dried it off, and put it away all before his phone rang.

"Hello," Sam answered a bit gruffly from hours of not talking in the car per Dean's request, but his voice became light and airy a moment later and he smiled. "Jody."

Dean smiled a bit too, but he didn't offer his time. Instead he grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down on the couch. He turned on the TV to a channel showing re-runs once of Dr. Sexy M.D. once again. Titan appeared before him and hopped up on the couch. Lying with him like a regular dog. Dean threw his arm over his hound and kicked up his feet, sipping his beer.

"Yeah he's here," Sam said, looking over at the scene then walking off to his room. "But he's kinda tired. I'll talk to yah though."

"I should hope so," Jody replied to him from her end, she was currently slaving over a hot stove making a pot of spaghetti. The steam was rising up, making her cheeks a nice shade of pink. She switched the receiver to other ear as she stirred the noodles. "I did take the time to call you after all and whilst I'm making dinner too. Feel honored."

Sam chuckled and balanced the phone against his cheek as he sat down on his bed and begun to take his boots off.

"So I hope you boys have been keeping busier than me," Jody sighed and pressed "stop" on the timer. "Besides the force and all."

"Actually yeah," Sam replied. "We just finished a hunt. Ghost city worker on a highway, made a big boom if you know what I mean."

"You know blowing things up is a federal crime," Jody laughed a bit. "There are a few things you probably shouldn't tell me Sam."

"But I know you won't tell on us," Sam laughed too. "Will you?"

"No," Jody rolled her eyes playfully. "I suppose I won't. Hold on one second. Alex honey can you please set the table for dinner?"

"Still slaving that girl away huh Jody," Sam teased and Jody rolled her eyes once again. "It's probably good for her. For both of you."

"She's a Godsend honestly," Jody said, a moment of silence between of them before she spoke again. "How are you doing Sam? I mean you and Dean…you know after…"

Sam knew she was referring to Dean's demon-hood. Sam sighed. There were times when he wished he hadn't kept Jody in the loop. He didn't even know what to tell her.

"He's…cured." Sam choked out the words.

"Cured," Jody said, a bit accusatory, her voice lowered. "Sam I swear if you made a deal."

"No," Sam reassured her. "I didn't. It just…it doesn't add up Jody. One day Dean's snapping necks, the next he's snapping up in bed perfectly fine. The angel, Castiel, he claimed he had some way to fix Dean, but I just want to what he did. He's not talking though."

"Have you talked to Dean about it all?" Jody asked, Sam sighed again; he hated lying to her so he chose not to.

"He won't talk," Sam replied. "He never wants to talk about it."

"I swear you two have the unhealthiest relationship," Jody said, starting to sound more and more motherly. "But I suppose if he has no answers either…"

The phone line went quiet for a bit, neither Sam nor Jody knowing what to say, but then Jody decided to break the ice once again.

"Well Sam, Alex and I have to eat dinner now but," Jody shifted the phone again. "Please for your own sanity and my sake, talk to your brother whether he likes it or not and you two take of yourselves. I'll call you if there's a hunt or you call me if you need me ok?"

"Ok Jody," Sam said. "I'll talk to you later. Have a nice dinner."

Jody hung up and Sam set his phone down on his side table. Sam lay back on his bed and crossed his arms behind his arms, closing his eyes.

"_You're just gonna lie around like that?" _

Kevin Tran's voice hissed through Sam's head. He shot up in bed with a start, panting, his heart beating a mile a minute. Sam looked around his room, to assure he was alone, and then chalked it up to little sleep the night before. He lay back down and closed his eyes again.

_"Wake the hell up!"_

His voice sent shivers up Sam's spine. He was now in a cold sweat. He looked around again.

"Kevin," Sam said, getting rather annoyed with this, Kevin was gone he'd gone with his mother to her house, why was he haunting Sam still and why now? "You're not real. You went home with your mom."

"_The veil allows me to go where I want Sam," His_ hallucination of Kevin, or so he hoped, spoke to him in a different manner than that of the Kevin who'd been alive. He sounded, troubled, angry. "_Metatron won't let me leave this plane and here you lie, my killer, lying on your ass and not doing a god damned thing about it."_

"Kevin that was Gadreel," Sam argued back, he felt stupid for doing so, he couldn't even see the teen. He only heard his disconnected voice in his head. "Not me. You…you can't blame me for that."

"_You saved your brother Sam," _Kevin's voice pounded in his skull and he could almost see the young teen at the foot of his bed, angry, gripping the bed frame like it was his last means of support, gesticulating wildly at Sam. "_Always your brother. Never anyone else. You ever stop to think how many people you could've possibly saved in your lifetime Sam? But no, it's always Dean."_

"Dean's my brother." Sam replied defensively.

"_Dean's my brother," _Kevin did a whiny imitation of Sam, making a face and moving his hands like they were a mouth. "_Oh suck it up! Don't you ever stop and think how you could possibly live without him?"_

Sam cocked his head at his hallucination of Kevin and looked at him like he was crazy, but there was a hint of something else that Kevin saw.

_"I'm right aren't I," _Kevin smirked. "_Admit it Sam. There were times when Dean just couldn't let you go and it pissed. You. Off."_

"Shut up." Sam snapped.

"_It's true," _Kevin laughed, there was a hint of frustration in it. "_All those times Dean's saved your ass when you didn't want it to be saved, but God forbid you shouldn't save his when he's in the same situation. It'd be a shame."_

"Stop talking about him that way," Sam growled and stood up, facing his hallucination of Kevin. "You're being an asshole!"

_"And you just don't want to admit I'm right," _Kevin cocked his head and gave Sam a shit eating grin. "_Just think about it Sam, ok?"_

Sam's hallucination of Kevin disappeared, leaving the younger Winchester alone. Sam rubbed his temples. This was worse than being harassed and haunted by Lucifer all those years ago, slightly less than the trials though. Although Kevin had a point, Sam stopped himself. He couldn't afford to think like that. Not now. Not ever. Sam shook his head to clear his thoughts and grabbed a towel from the chair at his desk and went to take a long hot shower.

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Dean's television zoning was quickly interrupting by Castiel flying in out of nowhere and sitting next to him on the nearby armchair. Titan lifted his head at the appearance of another angelic life form and Dean pressed mute on the television remote.

"Hello Dean." Castiel said.

"Hey yourself Cas," Dean replied and turned to his angelic friend. "Any news worth knowing?"

"I have narrowed down my search for Metatron," Castiel replied more gruffly than usual, like he was in pain again. "I've determined he's not out of state, as to how far away he is from us is still undetermined."

"Well," Dean smiled a bit. "It's progress at least…you ok Cas?"

"I am fine Dean," Castiel shifted a bit in the seat, leaning back like an older man. "I assure you."

Dean didn't want to believe Castiel. He wanted to question him further. To understand why the angel was hurting and hiding it. But Dean decided not to and instead he turned his attention back to Dr. Sexy on television and un-muted it just in time for another make out session between some doctor and some nurse.

"I thought she was seeing the other man," Castiel spoke up in observation before laying his head back in the chair. "She's cheating on him?"

"Yep," Dean explained. "It's just that kinda show Cas."

Castiel smiled a little bit, something foreign nowadays for him. He didn't let the smile fade from his mouth even after his eyes closed. He was content with listening to the audio of the show and even chuckling at the appropriate parts. Dean smiled over at his friend and scratched behind Titan's ears. He found it strange, but he also couldn't imagine being anywhere else in that moment. So that was exactly how Dean Winchester spent his afternoon: Watching Dr. Sexy M.D. with angels and drinking beer after beer.

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! :)**

**The next chapter should be out soon guys! I hope you enjoyed this one and you're enjoying the story so far! Any comments, questions, concerns, or things you'd like to see? Let me know!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: You are in luck NatalieJulow, I will be updating this story probably almost every day or night where I am, so I'd check back to it almost every day. I'm glad you like it and your review was amazing and heartfelt and I thank you from the bottom of my soul. I'm glad you like Titan, I was worried people would freak since he's not really in the show and this a Season 10 AU, but people seem to have taken to him well in this story and my other stories he is in. I thank you for taking the time to review and don't worry about how long they are, the longer the better in my opinion. It's reviews like yours that keep me writing, so again, thank you so much. **

**And as for you morgan: I'm glad you like it as well. I know it's not your fandom, but thank you again for taking the time to review. **

Chapter 9

Dean Winchester stared at himself in his bathroom mirror. He didn't like what he saw. Not that that was unusual or anything for Dean, but now he seemed more tainted than he'd ever been before. He felt like a zombified shell of a man. There was this bloodlust that still stung deep in his eyes, something he was afraid he could never get rid of. In fact that had become a bigger fear than Metatron's escape from Heavenly prison. Not that Dean was afraid of the likes of him or anything, but the thought that the angel that had essentially screwed Heaven for life was free instead of in the confines he belonged in definitely had put Dean in a great state of unease.

Castiel being in the vicinity that night had been a breath of fresh air for him though. He had felt almost claustrophobic with Sam around. Too many words had gone unsaid between the two of them in the past week. In the past lifetime for that matter, granted too many unsaid words had been passed between Castiel and him over the years, but with Castiel it was somehow different. With Castiel there was no impending doom when things went unsaid or unresolved. Castiel was still there, he still forgave Dean for the way he was, for the way he'd acted over the many years the two had known each other. Castiel hadn't judged him either, not like Sam had.

Dean looked deep into his own eyes. He saw things constantly, things that scared him. He saw Hell, literally. He saw the people he'd let down over the years, their disappointed looks still echoing on his irises. He saw deep inside himself, every screwed up thing about him his twisted insides becoming even more of an enigma every single goddamned day. The last thing he saw was what scared him the most. He saw his father. The deeper he looked he saw the man single handedly managed to be his father that raised him and the bane of his existence at the same time. He saw him striding towards him, he could imagine it now, and he saw the look of disgust on his face at what his son had become.

Dean backed away from the countertop and threw his hands up in the air. The vision of John was gone, but the chill still resided in his backbone. It shot through him once before it melted away. Dean immediately slammed off the lights in the bathroom and ran out. He didn't want to look at himself, not for one more moment. Titan lifted his head, staring at his master with minor concern, and stood up from the spot in which he lay. Dean; however, disregarded his four legged angelic friend and stomped out his bedroom door, closing it hard behind him. Titan lowered his head, wishing he could help in some way, but somehow knew it was pointless to try when Dean was in moods like this. So, he laid back down, tucking tail and whined once before closing his eyes again.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Castiel walked the streets of the town nearby, hoping to find some trace of the Scribe angel he'd been hunting, but as usual no such luck. Not since that horrid night in the forest. He could still hear their cries in his ears. It was almost haunting. He shivered something he hadn't done since he'd fallen, since he'd been human. It felt foreign, these human thoughts, these human emotions. Castiel wasn't sure if he was totally prepared for that, not again. The trench coated angel sighed and continued his trek down the long and busy sidewalk. People pushed past him without a second thought, as if he were simply ordinary, Castiel chuckled a bit at that thought. If only they knew they were knocking shoulders with an angel of the lord?

Suddenly Castiel sensed he too was doing just that, he turned his head to face the man that had just passed him. Younger looking fellow, with a leather jacket and jeans, he was wearing red vans tennis shoes and no smile on his face.

"Aznarath?" Castiel asked, hoping the other angel next to him would hear him over the sea of people and they wouldn't raise suspicion.

"Castiel," the angel turned to face him, his dark green eyes shone in the sunlight. They reminded Castiel of Dean's eyes. "Brother. Is it really you?"

Aznarath moved closer to Castiel, closing the gap between them so that they could talk more freely without arising too much confusion from the humans. Castiel nodded in response and Aznarath smiled a bit. Castiel had never known his friend to be much of a fighter and ultimately for once Castiel was grateful to see another angel that didn't want his head on a stake for what had happened to Heaven.

"It's a bit chilly out here," Aznarath rubbed his hands together to fight off the air. "What do you say we go somewhere else Castiel? Grab a drink?"

"I suppose yes," Castiel said and before he could say another word Aznarath had flown them to a nearby bar and grill. "Brother what are doing among all these people?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Aznarath lifted two fingers to the bartender who promptly smiled and nodded at him, bringing Castiel and him two freshly poured beers. "What are you doing amongst all these people Castiel?"

"Clearing my head," Castiel replied, it wasn't the entire truth, but it was part of it. "And you brother?"

"I happen to enjoy this," Aznarath said, sipping his beer, Castiel, not wanting to seem unworthy followed suit. "It's nice not being tethered to one thing. I'm sure none of the others would agree with me though."

"Probably not," Castiel never understood why Dean and Sam liked beer so much, besides the warmth that trickled down one's throat when consuming one, there wasn't much else to it. "I have been biding my time though, assisting the Winchesters."

"Ah the infamous Winchesters," Aznarath chuckled. "What's it like being bossed around by two rugged humans Castiel?"

Castiel cocked his head a bit, he'd never thought of Sam and Dean as rugged. Sam as a bit tortured but all in all a good person and a good friend to Castiel. Dean, wonderful soul, a bit of a drinking problem maybe, freckles, green eyes, weathered soldier. Dean.

"It's not any different than Heaven brother," Castiel replied, taking another small sip. "Just less Almighty manpower. I've found out many times I was wrong when I thought I was right and knew what was best. Most of all I think they taught me to question."

"Taught you to question," Aznarath asked suggestively. "Or taught you to feel?"

Castiel didn't glorify his remark with a response.

"Because most angels would consider that a bad thing," Aznarath paused a moment, the background noise from the bar flooding into their conversation, the glasses clacking, the drunken babbling, the jukebox playing old tunes nobody's heard in years. "I don't judge you, but then again you're not really Heaven's favorite for a number of reasons Castiel."

Castiel nodded, he understood what Aznarath was saying. At first in his millennia in Heaven and on earth before Dean's rescue, Castiel had passed through earth without an emotion attached. He'd never stopped to think or to feel; only the mission, only the missions mattered. He'd heard nothing but the beats of angel wings and Enochian chants and clicks like metal on metal, snare drums, in his head on angel radio. Now he felt remorse for the things he'd done in the past, he felt guilt for the one's he'd killed, left behind, and so on. He heard Sam's sarcastic and accusatory tones, he felt Dean's heartbeat in his own ears when the hunter was angry. He'd become what every angel had feared for years upon years. Aznarath was right. He'd become more human than he'd ever wanted to be. This among other reasons was why the angels wanted him gone, why they wanted him dead.

Castiel suddenly grimaced a bit, he'd been ignoring the constant pain all day until now, but it suddenly shot through him like a lightning bolt. He gritted his teeth and his fingers dug into his thighs. It passed as quickly as it had come on, but Castiel still felt waves of it radiating.

"I know what you did brother," Aznarath said. "And I know why."

"I don't want to talk about it." Castiel replied. That was the truth.

"I figured," Aznarath nodded. "You care about him. Some would say too much brother."

"That's not always a bad thing." Castiel said a bit spitefully, he'd heard this song and dance from everyone in Heaven. He was actually quite sick of it.

"It must hurt something awful," Aznarath said. "Knowing it probably won't happen."

Castiel sighed, he knew not responding would be worse than the truth.

Finally, Castiel said: "It only hurts when my eyes are open."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Aznarath and Castiel sat in silence after that for quite awhile before they parted ways. Both exiting the bar after Aznarath paid the establishment. Aznarath strode right, off into the crowd, and Castiel left. Little did either of them know a pair of strikingly familiar eyes followed their every move? The eyes trailed back to Castiel eventually, their intended target. The source behind them chuckled.

"Soon Castiel," Metatron chuckled, watching the angel from his bench seat across the way, newspaper blocking him. "Soon."

**Reviews are always very much appreciated! There will be a bit more to the next chapter. A little bit more action and a beloved character makes an appearance! **

**More to come soon guys and I hope you're enjoying this so far!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It was way past midnight and still, Titan ran. He panted and sprinted as fast as his four legs would carry him. He jumped over trees as he bounded out of the nearby woods and onto the main dirt road. The headlights of a truck barreled down the nearly deserted road and they landed on Titan. He froze a moment, his eyes flaring up white and then jumped into the brush nearby, taking off once again. The truck driver slammed on his brakes for a moment, contemplating what they just saw: wolf, fox, or something they just couldn't explain? Then the truck driver moved on, slower than before.

The Angelhound could feel his heart beating fast. In Heaven he could cover twice as much ground as on earth, but he didn't mind. Titan had enjoyed his time on earth with the Winchester brothers. They'd shown him such kindness and lots of belly rubs and ear scratches so the hound ultimately felt satisfied with his choice to permanently leave his former master, Balthazar, and stay with Dean. It had been hard on the hound after his master had been killed, by none other than Castiel, in fact Titan had found it hard to trust Castiel for the longest time until Castiel proved to him he was no threat.

Titan zoomed as fast as light as he drew closer to his desired location. He then suddenly stopped and sniffed the air before his eyes lit up white once again and a small box with everything he needed appeared in front of him. There was just one ingredient missing. Titan took off again, faster than light this time and returned, trying hard not to taste the plant in between his jaws. Hemlock, Titan quickly dropped it into the box. Not that he was susceptible to any poisons on earth, but he never took a chance. Titan picked the wooden box up in between his teeth after shutting the top of it and trotted over to the middle of the crossroads. He buried it and waited for a moment.

"Well hello there love," Titan's head spun around to find Crowley standing there. Crowley looked down beneath him. "No devils' trap huh? That's ballsy of you?"

"_You won't try to escape," _Titan said to him through his mind, he stepped closer. "_Not when the Winchesters are so high up on your priority list."_

Crowley paused a moment.

"Well," he said. "You've got me there."

_"What have you done to Dean?" _Titan asked.

"Oh Dean," Crowley smirked playfully a bit, staring down the hound. "He did that all to himself mutt."

_"Lies," _Titan exclaimed and growled, snapping his jaw and baring his teeth for emphasis. "_What have you done to my master?"_

"I told you, you bloody mutt, Squirrel did this to himself," Crowley explained again. "I simply provided him with new life."

Crowley suddenly found that he was down on the ground. He had an angry, growling Angelhound looming over him and he was quite close to said Angelhound's giant fangs. Crowley knew better than to piss off angels, but Angelhounds were a different story. At least an angel you could outsmart and they weren't packing industrial sized and strength teeth. Titan shifted into his human form and grabbed Crowley by the collar, lifting him up so they were face to face, inches from each other.

"Well then if you won't tell me what you did to Dean," Titan glared and bared his teeth once again, even though they were human teeth as of that moment. "Then at least tell me how to fix him."

"Sorry no can do," Crowley shrugged, seemingly innocently. "I'm afraid that job is already spoken for."

"What do you mean?" Titan asked, worried a bit, he backed up and let Crowley's collar go. The King of Hell brushed himself off and straightened his tie.

"Well mutt," Crowley turned his head slightly; there was a glimmer of deceit in his eyes. "Let's just say between you and me, that Squirrel has quite the guardian angel."

Crowley disappeared before Titan's eyes and the Angelhound was taken aback. What had Crowley meant by what he said? Had Castiel done something to help Dean? Had another angel? Titan shifted back into his hound form and grunted before turning tail and running back in the direction of the bunker. He and Dean had much to discuss when his master awoke.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean awoke the next morning to a grimy taste in his mouth and a slight headache. He'd pounded a few beers and even some whiskey the night before after his little session with the bathroom mirror. He hated when his mind worked that way. Self loathing seemed to be all he knew nowadays and all of his life for that matter.

He was also awoken by the sound of his brother walking down the hallway towards his open door. Damn it, had he forgotten to close the door the night before? Dean rubbed his aching temples, trying to ignore everything else. Trying, until he felt a bottle of Aspirin hit the bed in front of him and Sam looking over at him.

"Rough night," Sam asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. "Huh? So what chick flaked on yah at what bar this time?"

"I stayed in." Dean graciously dry swallowed two Aspirin and pinched his nose. His head pounded every time he moved.

"I'm not gonna ask," Sam said. "Anyway, Cas is in the living room waiting to talk to the both of us. Jody called me earlier today and requested our help with something. So once you're ready to be coherent meet us out there and we'll make a game plan."

Sam walked away and Dean groaned quietly. He hated migraines, he hated it when Sam talked to him like he was a helpless child, and also he hated not knowing why anything was happening to him lately. Dean stood and stomped over to the bathroom, rubbing his tired eyes before turning on the light and washing off his face with cold water. His eyes met the mirror and he squinted before lifting one open wider with his finger and thumb.

The bloodlust, it was fading and fading rapidly at that.

Dean had no explanation and that was scaring him ever so slightly. He didn't know what could've possibly caused his healing or who for that matter. Dean shook away his thoughts, not wanting to go there right in that moment and picked out his clothes for the day. Slipping on his black faded ACDC t-shirt and some worn blue jeans, Dean walked out of his room and to his awaiting companions.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean found Castiel seated in the same armchair he'd been in the night they'd watched Dr Sexy together. Sam was standing, leaned up against a barstool, a cup of coffee between his lips. Dean poured himself a cup and gingerly sipped it down. His stomach still churned, he knew it would until the pill kicked in.

"Metatron is definitely nearby," Castiel spoke up after silence filled the room for too long. "I have narrowed down a possible location."

"Well don't just sit there Cas," Dean chugged his coffee and wiped his lips. "Tell us."

"There is an abandoned warehouse nearby," Castiel explained. "His grace is there in traces, showing that he has been visiting it. I believe if I can catch him at the right time there, I can ambush him and return him to his rightful prison."

"Sounds good Cas," Sam nodded, he turned to Dean. "Jody told me of a potential werewolf case near her place. She was wondering if you were in or not."

"Uh," Dean weighed his options, go with Sam and be interrogated again, by both his brother and probably Jody or stay with Castiel and not be judged or asked questions he didn't feel like answering. "Actually Sam, I think I'm gonna stay here…with Cas."

Castiel was taken aback. It wasn't the first time that Dean had gone with him on a hunt or a case or anything else for that matter, but it was the first time Dean had vocalized it was what he wanted to do. Sam's eyebrows lifted a moment and he rubbed the back of his neck for a moment.

"Oh," Sam replied. "Well ok Dean. I mean, yeah that's…good. I'll tell Jody it's just gonna be me then."

Sam walked off to call their police officer friend leaving Dean with Castiel. Dean looked over at his old friend with heavy eyes. Castiel sighed; his pain had doubled since the week before and he trying harder and harder to hide it. Eventually he knew he couldn't, but for now what Dean didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Tell me when you are ready Dean," Castiel said, his fingers covering his eyes and rubbing at them. "I'll fly us to the warehouse after Sam leaves. I…need a moment."

Dean gave Castiel a confused look, but he nodded. He observed how tense Castiel's shoulders were. The angel was clearly in some kind of pain. Dean considered asking his friend what was wrong, but he anticipated the answer already. The same one Castiel had been giving him for the past weeks: "I'm fine Dean." So he didn't.

Moments later Sam had a packed back slung over his left shoulder and he was walking towards the door of the bunker. He waved at the pair and walked out the door without a second glance. Castiel stood from his chair and strode over to Dean. Dean barely had time to register what was happening before Castiel zapped them to the front door of the warehouse. He had somehow zapped boots onto Dean's feet and a gun into his belt.

"I sensed Metatron's grace here multiple times," Castiel explained, lowering his voice a bit. Dean checked himself over and stepped forward. "I want to catch him by surprise if at all possible."

"Makes sense," Dean replied. "So how do you reckon we get inside Cas?"

"I was thinking the front door would suffice," Castiel pointed in the direction of the slightly ajar door that seemed stuck halfway. "Unless you have a better plan?"

"Well geez Cas," Dean smirked a tiny bit as he followed the angel to the entrance. "Who taught you sarcasm?"

"You." Castiel replied as he tried to work open the door. The old metal door groaned a bit, but refused to budge. Castiel let out a frustrated sigh. Dean walked up next to him.

"Here," Dean offered. "Let's try together."

Dean pushed too at the same time as Castiel. The door opened enough for one of them to try to sneak through; unfortunately they both tried at the same time and ended up very stuck. Dean's knee was wedged somewhere near Castiel's crotch and Castiel was pinned to the wall. Dean grunted and tried to shift forward. Castiel did the same thing at the same time though and prevented either one of them from moving once again. Dean looked down and saw nothing, but blue eyes inches from his.

"Cas," Dean grunted and shifted again. "We were never good at the whole personal space thing weren't we?"

"Now is hardly the time Dean," Castiel moved his arms up so he wasn't quite so pinned. "On three. We push."

"Good. Cuz in reality," Dean's breath ghosted in the space between them as he looked at the angel before him, Castiel's too. "You're kinda crushing my ribs Cas."

"Whose fault is that Dean," Castiel said, accusatory. "You're the one who insisted we could both fit through this thing."

"That," Dean let out a breath he'd been holding rather harshly and struggled again for a few moments. "Was before we got stuck."

"On three." Castiel counted and the pair managed to painfully dislodged themselves from the doorway. They tumbled onto the concrete floor and each let out a groan. Castiel got up first, followed by the hunter. Dean looked around, rubbing at his wrist and his neck. This place seemed pretty abandoned, but he also knew Castiel and when Castiel had a lead, he didn't stop until he followed it.

"At least this warehouse," Castiel said, looking around as well. "Isn't guarded by insatiable intimidating prime numbers."

"What?" Dean gave Castiel a "what the hell" look.

"You weren't there that's right," Castiel walked forward, Dean quickly followed after him. "That was Sam."

"I," Dean was about to ask, but decided against it. "Never mind…"

Castiel and Dean carefully and quietly walked on through the halls of the warehouse. It creaked and groaned with age and every time Castiel jumped a bit. Dean looked around him in anticipation of some monster lurking in the darkness, but no ugly creatures jumped out to "greet" them. They finally reached a central area where there were a few doors leading to adjacent dark hallways and water dripped from the holes in the ceiling. Castiel stepped out into the center, looking all around him. Dean watched and waited.

"_Face it Castiel," _Metatron's voice echoed through Castiel's head and his only. "_You think you're going to win, but you're wrong."_

Castiel shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and silently praying that Dean wouldn't ask questions.

"_I've got plans for you Castiel," _Metatron said, Castiel could almost see him smirking. "_And that precious boy toy of yours too. It's about time he learned the truth isn't it Castiel? The truth about what you did."_

"Shut up." Castiel muttered.

"What'd you say Cas?" Dean asked.

"Oh," Castiel looked over. "N-Nothing Dean."

He knew Dean didn't believe him, but the hunter didn't pry. Castiel continued to wait, searching for the source of the voice even though he knew it wasn't there at the warehouse.

"_Just you wait Castiel," _Metatron practically yelled and laughed in Castiel's head, Castiel, not thinking, held his ears and dropped his blade. "_Just you wait now! I'll give you both what you deserve! Won't that be fun Castiel? Won't that be fun?!"_

"Shut up!" Castiel practically screamed. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Metatron's voice slowly faded and it was replaced by Dean's. Dean was staring down at the angel, who now leaned up on the wall on the dingy floor. Castiel shakily removed his hands from his ears and looked up at Dean, blue eyes meeting concerned green ones. Dean was shaking his shoulder lightly and trying to get him to stand up. Castiel slowly obliged, he felt the pain shoot up his back again, but he ignored it and focused on Dean.

"You ok man," Dean asked. "We need to get out of here. You're shaking Cas."

"Yes," Castiel nodded, gaining coherence. "We do Dean. Let's go."

Castiel led the way, followed by Dean once again who was acting like a bit of a concerned mother hen over the angel. The opposite of what Castiel wanted. He shrugged it off though and mostly ignored Dean. Not on purpose, but Metatron's words rang in his head. They wouldn't go away either.

"_I've got plans for you Castiel and that precious boy toy of yours too."_

_ "It's about time he learned the truth isn't it Castiel?"_

"_The truth about what you did."_

"_The truth about what you did…"_

Castiel kept walking and ignoring. He feared he'd fall apart right there if he did.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam blinked as he stared down the road. It was a long ride to Jody's house and he had planned to get there before midnight that night. Damn he was tired though. The radio hadn't been the best companion. He'd prefer a real person to the radio any day.

_"I never meant to be so bad to you, one thing I said that I would never do."_

Sam's attention suddenly returned.

"_One look from you and I'd fall from grace, enough to wipe that smile right from your face."_

Sam tried to change the station, but it wouldn't go. He began to panic a little. That song, anything but THAT song. Sam looked back up and saw a familiar golden eyed face standing in the middle of the deserted road, except for him. Sam gasped and hit the brakes before swerving off the road. He looked back and saw nothing, he panted and pushed his hair away from his now sweat laden forehead and re-opened his eyes moments later. Only to nearly jump out of his skin at who he saw.

"He yah Sammy boy." Gabriel said from the passenger seat.

**Reviews are always appreciated! I hope you guys enjoyed who was brought into this chapter. And who was potentially brought back, or was he? Stay tuned for the next installment to find out the answers to all of your questions. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I am so sorry guys, it's been awhile. Life has been busy and it'll only get busier. So without further ado, I present Chapter 11.**

Chapter 11

"Jesus Christ!" Sam cried out, still holding his heart and trying to slow his rapid breathing.

"Nope I'm just Gabriel," Gabriel chuckled. "Jesus though, he was Hell of a guy."

Sam breathed through the panic and looked over at his passenger seat companion and glared at him.

"Woah there killer," Gabriel held up his hands. "Ease up. I come in peace."

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked through gritted teeth.

"Well Sammy," Gabriel explained. "When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…"

"Not what I mean Gabriel," Sam replied sharply. "I mean what are you doing here? I thought you were dead?"

"How do you know I'm not kiddo," Gabriel asked, adding even more confusion to Sam's brain, but he figured it was best not to question it. "Besides spending time in Elysium Fields, throwing assholes into black holes again, my specialty by the way, anyway can't I pay my favorite Cro-Magnon human a "hello how yah been" visit?"

"Honestly," Sam said, still a bit annoyed from almost being run off the road. "I was expecting more confetti."

"Too clichéd," Gabriel chuckled and kicked his feet up on the Impala's dashboard, Sam knowing full well if Dean were there Gabriel's ass would be deep fried by now. "How yah been Sam?"

"I was doing fine," Sam replied, starting to turn the Impala back onto the road. "Until an undead archangel appeared as my co-pilot, an archangel with a hidden agenda usually at that, what's your angle Gabriel? Why are you really here and what do you really want?"

Gabriel sighed and put his feet down. His face went emotionless for a moment before a new emotion; new on him at least, appeared. Fear, Sam had seen his fear when he and Dean had first discovered who and what Gabriel really was, but this was a different kind of fear. One Sam determined didn't look well on anyone.

"It's about my brother." Gabriel said stone cold serious.

"Cas?" Sam asked. He was suddenly interested.

"Castiel did something," Gabriel explained. "I can't tell what, but he did something and now he's hurting."

"Hurting," Sam said. "You mean like in physical pain?"

"Maybe," Gabriel shrugged. "It was hard to tell. All I know is it was as if something in him was dying away, as if he was losing a part of himself. I dunno, it could be nothing, but…can I ask a favor of you Sam?"

Sam was leery, he had to say that much. Gabriel had never been high on his list of trustworthy people, but then again Sam didn't have a huge list and most of the people on it were either dead, Castiel, or his brother, so at the moment he didn't have much choice. As much as he hated the thought of making a deal with a trickster, he could tell something was jarring Gabriel and even though he only knew the archangel as a general asshole, Sam knew he still wasn't himself. Sam sighed and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. He contemplated this and decided finally what did he have to lose? Besides, if Castiel was involved, it couldn't be a trick.

"Yeah," Sam nodded and listened as he kept his eyes on the road. "You can."

"Keep an eye on my baby brother," Gabriel said, more serious than Sam had ever heard him sound. "For me and for Dean? He's basically attached at the hip to your brother. So please?"

"Alright," Sam said without hesitation. "Consider it done when I get back from this hunt. Dean's with him now."

"Thank you," this was foreign, Sam had never known the archangel to be grateful. "Oh and Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam asked he was scared to know what else Gabriel wanted.

"Take care of yourself too." Gabriel said before a flap of wings was heard and the archangel was gone. He left no remnants of him ever being there except for the sweet candy scent that seemed to be unique to him. It had lingered in Sam's nostrils and followed him throughout his time in TV land and those eternal Tuesdays. Sam sighed, shaking off what had just happened, and kept driving forward. He was close to Jody's and the hunt couldn't wait a day more.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean sat in the bunker living room and pondered his and Castiel's next move. Something had happened back at the warehouse and Dean wasn't quite sure what. Castiel had heard something that fell deaf on Dean's ears. His friend had been yelling at someone unseen to "shut up", but Dean had never once seen the person responsible for Castiel's outburst. The angel was currently lying down in the one of the many bedrooms at the bunker, supposedly sleeping, which Dean found odd in itself since Castiel had once told him years ago that angels in fact did not need sleep.

Dean on the other hand was sleeping with ghosts.

Not literal ones of course, but the ghosts of the past. The things he'd done when the bloodlust had been hot and heavy and Dean had been ready to kill at a moment's notice. He felt no need now and that scared him. How something so strong, so deep rooted and powerful, could suddenly disappear from him? That, he couldn't understand. Meanwhile, the hunter was plagued with images of the woman he'd killed that had made the news, the child that had cried in the night because of his eyes, the man he'd bludgeoned to death in the alleyway.

The thoughts of it all made him sick. So he sat in a chair next to the couch in the bunker's living room, trying to think of anything, but that. His gut churned like a humbling river, flowing upstream, up his throat and wanting to come out in the form of a blood curdling scream. He hadn't thought of any other way to let it out. He heard a door creak and Castiel appeared, wearing sweatpants and an old t-shirt of Sam's that the younger hunter had lent him. Dean watched him walk; he seemed to walk with a slight limp. He was in pain, Dean could tell. From what, Dean couldn't say.

"Hey Cas," Dean cleared his throat and turned to face the angel. "You any better?"

"I'll manage," Castiel sat down near him in the other armchair. "We have to go back, Metatron was there. I could feel it."

"Ok Geronimo," Dean replied. "Why don't you sit this one out for awhile? I mean you're already limping and you could barely function in that damn warehouse."

"Shut up," Castiel snapped, which shocked Dean. Castiel had never told him to shut up. Dean didn't know how to respond. "I am so close to that…imbecile. I can sense it. If I give up now, I—"

"Ok," Dean said defensively. "Ok, I didn't mean…you know what never mind. I'm sorry. I just figured…"

"Dean," Castiel sighed. "It's fine. It is I who should be saying sorry."

"Cas…"

"No," Castiel explained. "It's just…he took everything from us. He took our home, our powers, and our lives. The only thing the angels have ever known has been torn from us and it's my fault, all of it is. I trusted the wrong person. Now I just want to make things right and I'm so close Dean I can feel it. I need to find him, you just…you wouldn't understand."

"You remember when Sam went to Hell?" Dean abruptly asked.

"Yes." Castiel said.

"And how I wanted to do everything in my power to bring him back?" Dean continued.

"What is your point Dean?" Castiel replied with a sigh.

"I know how it feels," Dean replied. "How you feel. You want to do what's right. Man I admire that so much Cas, but you're running on empty here. You're in pain I can see it and since you won't tell me why I have to assume it's just some angelic shit because you were fighting some holier than thou supernatural force or some mumbo jumbo like that. Anyway man I know how you feel, but Cas like I said I need you and I need you to not go out there and kill yourself trying to find Metatron ok?"

Castiel didn't reply. He looked over at Dean though.

"Please Cas," Dean said. "I will help you find him, but please don't do this anymore today ok?"

"Ok Dean." Castiel replied rather flippantly, but Dean could tell he meant what he said.

"Good." Dean said, leaning back and tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair.

"Nervous energy," Castiel spoke up after a bout of silence. "Is my brother's plaything."

Dean stopped.

"Just thinking…" Dean said.

"About?"

"About the last few months." Dean replied.

"I see."

"Look Cas not for nothing but," Dean replied. "I'm having a hard time fathoming it myself so I really don't think I should talk about it for awhile. If that's ok with you?"

"I never said we had to Dean." Castiel said, holding his hands up slightly.

"I don't even know where to begin." Dean sighed.

"Distracting yourself," Castiel said. "Would prove most helpful."

"Pray tell?" Dean asked.

"I suggest you read," Castiel stood from the chair. "You don't do that often enough. I'd recommend _The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy_. I do believe you'd relate with the characters quite well."

Castiel stood and walked towards the room that had been dubbed as his for the time being.

"Since when did you become all scholarly Cas," Dean chuckled. "And no offense but the day I pick up a book is the day the world actually ends."

"No time like the present." Castiel gave a soft smile and walked into his room, leaving Dean alone. Dean chuckled to himself as his eyes landed on the bookcase nearby. He immediately shook his head no and clicked the remote for the television. The game was on and it was so rare that Dean got to actually catch it. Although, Dr. Sexy was having a marathon…

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**Sorry guys, to be honest this was kind of a filler chapter. I wanted ya'll to know I was alive, but at the same time it's late and I don't have the energy for the full thing. The next chapter though will be a bit longer, I promise. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm back, college is hard; amazingly I have some free time right now. I'll spare you the mumbo jumbo. On to the story!**

Chapter 12

Sam and Jody Mills tramped through the woods near the vampire's nest. They'd spent the entirety of the day, playing dress up (well, Sam did) and talking to local witnesses, gathering the necessary supplies and weapons, and tracking down what they later found out to be the vampire's nest. It was an old abandoned house in the middle of the woods thank God or else Jody might have had to call it in to the force and it wouldn't have been the easiest thing in the world to explain why an officer of the law was "ganking" people as Dean would've put it.

Sam, weapon in hand, lifted up the low lying branch so it wouldn't hit Jody in the face as they walked. Jody smiled appreciatively and continued down the path they'd made to the nest.

"No jokes intended here Sam," Jody finally broke the silence, as she spoke quietly and moved soft-footed through the woods. "But your head's been up in the clouds since you arrived here. What's going on?"

Sam thought about what had happened. What Gabriel had told him, how he was supposed to trust the word of a supposedly dead archangel. Not to mention Sam had tried his hardest to ignore what had been going on at home. Castiel was in pain, Dean was trying to pick through every memory and determine what was him or not, Sam, well he was just muddling through. All that mattered in that moment was the hunt.

"Nothing Jody," Sam hated lying to her. "Nothing."

"Bullshit," Jody said, rather forcefully at that, she stopped and turned to Sam so he was forced to speak to her. "Sam if this is about your brother…"

"It's not about Dean ok," Sam snapped. Jody stared at him a moment, giving him the look like a mother would, determining if her child was lying or not. "It's not…just about Dean."

"I knew it," Jody said. "Sam if there's something you need to talk about…"

Need to talk about, sure there were a lot of things Sam needed to talk about. His brother being one of them. But right now he couldn't even formulate his own thoughts about what he'd wanted to say to Dean for months now, how could he even begin to explain anything to Jody that she didn't already know?

"There's nothing," Sam replied. "Not right now. Right now this hunt is all that matters. So let's just get in there and get it done ok?"

Sam pushed past her, not in a rude way, and Jody watched as he trudged further up the path. Jody could sense something was up with the boy. Sam wasn't telling her something, but what else was new. The brothers rarely let Jody in on their personal problems. That had been Bobby's role when he was alive. She had never once pried, nor pressured, either brother to open up to her, but nowadays after all the boys and she had been through she almost considered it a necessity. She sighed though and decided that Sam would talk when he was ready and only then. She walked after him, her boots sinking into the moist mud underneath.

The sound of an old time record playing blasting Creedance Clearwater Revival's _Bad Moon Rising_ was heard permeating through the air as they neared the house. Sam and Jody both chuckled at the appropriate choice in song and crouched down in the bushes, observing the scene. Sam's eyes played back and forth between the two upstairs windows laden with dust, cobwebs, and broken glass. Two young male vampires stalked back and forth, constantly looking out the windows and down into the yard below. Jody's eyes were set on the man in the bottom window who was laughing at something she assumed another vampire had said to him. The windows were specially tinted, probably done by a vampire with the knowledge, to prevent total sunlight from pouring in, but Sam and Jody could still see in.

"He's the Alpha," Jody whispered to Sam and pointed to the biggest man in the window. "I'm sure of it."

"Let's get him then," Sam motioned for Jody to follow him around the perimeter of the house, hoping they wouldn't arouse too much suspicion from the vampires. Sam and Jody both carried blades for beheading. "You go around back; I'll head through the side door. Take out as many as you can, as quietly as you can."

"Not my first rodeo Winchester." Jody smirked and quietly moved around back. Slipping through the door unnoticed. Once Sam knew she was inside he quickly made his move and slipped through the side door, following suit. He heard the unmistakable sound of vampires heads being cut off and rolling across the floor. Luckily the Alpha hadn't noticed yet, or maybe he had? Sam didn't want to waste time deciding the answer to that one. He signaled for Jody to stay hidden and made his move once again.

"Hey jerks," Sam spoke up and the Alpha vampire turned its head to see who'd spoken to it. The other lackeys around him did as well. Dean had always been the one on the hunts to come up with the quirky openers, Sam was glad he'd finally gotten the chance. He smirked. "Who wants stake for dinner?"

The vampires rushed at him and he had his blade raised high. Sam began advancing towards the incoming vampires. One by one he sliced off their heads and they rolled. Some towards the windows, some behind Sam, and some at the Alpha's feet. Sam looked at the Alpha, holding tight to his blade, waiting for him to strike.

"Not so big and bad without your posse huh?" Sam asked.

"Foolish hunter," the Alpha laughed. "You really think I can't take you down alone? Why I could kill you and others like you in my sleep!"

"Oh really now," Sam asked. "Others like me too?"

Sam and the Alpha both watched each other's every move.

"Really," the Alpha snickered and stepped a bit closer. "I am one of the strongest of my kind. You really think a human can kill me?"

"No," Sam replied. "I don't. But two can."

The Alpha spun around just in time to see Jody bringing a blade down on his neck, slicing his head from his body. It fell to the wood floor with a sickening sound and Jody kicked the other half of the body away. Sam looked around them, dead vampires lay everywhere. A rare occurrence in such a short period of time.

"Now that," Jody said. "Is what we call a successful hunt?"

Sam nodded and laughed along with the police detective. Jody kicked a vampire's head that had managed to land near her foot.

"But seriously though," Jody added. "Work on your bedside manner with monsters, that one liner was horrible. Besides that's not even how you kill a vampire."

"Hey," Sam exclaimed. "It's not my fault. Dean's the witty one."

"He'd be happy to hear you admit that out loud," Jody looked around too. "Now c'mon let's get out of here. I plan on torching this place and I don't need evidence pegged against me."

"A police detective torching a house full of murdered vampires," Sam said. "Aren't you breaking all kinds of laws here?"

"Oh be quiet," Jody pulled matches out of her pocket and lit one, letting it drop to the floor and igniting the wood. "What the force doesn't know won't hurt them. Now c'mon quick."

Jody and Sam exited the building right before it started to go up in flames. Jody pulled out her personal cell phone and placed a 911 call.

"Yes I'm reporting a fire," Jody gave the details. "Just thought I'd let you all know. Alright thanks, bye."

Sam chuckled when Jody hung up and the pair, smiling, began the long walk back towards their car and Jody's house.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Castiel walked out of his room, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. He had been taking too many naps in his opinion, since what he'd done, but he couldn't help it. He was just so tired. He looked around; the bunker seemed abnormally quiet for the evening. Castiel half expected to hear the clicking of Titan's claws even, on the tile, but not a sound was heard. Not until he turned his head to see Dean, moving in the kitchen.

"Dean…" Castiel started moving towards him.

Dean didn't respond. He kept shifting dishes around and running the water in the sink. Castiel cocked his head.

"Dean…" Castiel said again, this time louder.

"He can't hear you," Metatron's voice was heard and Castiel spun his head around him. The room started to fade around him and Castiel ended up in the warehouse him and Dean and found earlier. Castiel turned behind him and saw Metatron standing and smirking. "That one's not real."

"What do you want Metatron?" Castiel's fingers ran over his blade, preparing to strike if need be.

"What do you think Castiel," Metatron replied. "What I've wanted since day one of your fall from Heaven, your ass on a golden platter, you and those Winchester boys."

"No way on earth." Castiel glared.

"Precisely," Metatron mumbled, but then spoke up. "Anyway, those are my terms. That's what I want and I suppose since I'm your new God you're going to give it to me."

"I repeat," Castiel stepped closer, gripping the blade tight, but not pulling it out yet. "No way on earth."

"Fine," Metatron said rather calmly. "Castiel you've tested me since I first met you. You have twenty four hours."

Metatron then disappeared before Castiel could say another word, leaving him confused and wondering what Metatron had meant.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"You want your steak rare or not?" Jody called to Sam from the kitchen. He sat at the dining room table perusing various books of Jody's on lore. Alex, Jody's more recent adopted daughter from a vampire hunt, sat on the couch, reading a fiction novel.

"Medium rare Jody," Sam called out. "How's that book Alex?"

"Good…" Alex mumbled.

"Sorry," Jody came out of the kitchen smiling. "Alex has yet to learn social skills when she's got her nose buried in a book."

Jody leaned over Alex and got in her light.

"Alex we have a guest." Jody said and Alex looked up at her and rolled her eyes.

"God mom," Alex had taken to calling her mom ever since she'd practically taken her in as her own. "You're in my light."

"She's fine Jody," Sam smiled over at Alex and Alex smiled back. "I know what it's like to be into a book."

"Well," Jody said. "I highly doubt you and Alex have the same taste in literature and what mom says goes. Put the book down, come sit at the table and eat with us."

Alex rolled her eyes again and moved from the couch to the table. Sam chuckled and went back to his books.

"He gets to read." Alex whined.

"He's the guest," Jody warned her and set down the plates of steak. "I'm not in charge of him."

Sam chuckled again, but was interrupted by his phone. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Dean.

"Hey Dean," Sam answered. "What is it?"

"_Oh nothing," _Dean replied. "_Just thought I'd let you know it's a real funky town here in Kansas, you should be here Sammy."_

"Dean…" Sam said, getting up from the table, panicking a bit.

"_Trust me Sammy," _Dean said again. "_You just gotta get here by tomorrow man, real funky town."_

Then, he hung up. Sam looked at his phone and locked it, before turning to Jody.

"What's wrong Sam?" Jody asked.

"I'm sorry," Sam said. "I'm sorry to rush out, but I gotta go."

"Sam," Jody grabbed his arm. "What is it?"

"It's Dean," Sam said. "He's in trouble."

Sam ran out the door without looking back once.

**Reviews are appreciated! The real fun chapters are coming up soon. I've been waiting for these.**

**More to come soon my lovely readers.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm back! Again, I'm working on multiple projects right now (all fanfiction) and college work. It's tedious, but worth it! I am trying to get this story done before October 7****th**** I don't know if I'll make the deadline or not, but if for any reason I don't consider it an AU for you guys to go to in case Season 10 sucks, I've heard mixed reviews based on what people have already seen. I'm also treating this story as if Season 10 is the last season of Supernatural so if ends a way you didn't expect it to that's why. Now, here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 13

Dean awoke from a particularly bad dream. This one was bloody; it was filled with violent deaths. Deaths that Dean had caused, blood that had spilled on his hands; he still felt the First Blade in his hands some nights. Some nights the urge was stronger than others, it was slowly fading. Whatever had been done to cure him, it was working in every aspect except in his head. Then again, Dean didn't ever expect miracles. He had awoken in a sweat and with a start.

"_Castiel has been gone some time," _Titan nudged the hunter's hand to rouse him. Dean grunted, rubbed his tired eyes, and looked over at his furry companion. "_He has returned though, he requests your presence Dean."_

"I'm up," Dean groaned. "Tell him I'm up."

"Hello Dean." Castiel simply said, entering the room in typical Castiel fashion.

"Hey there Cas," Dean rubbed his fingers down his face. "What's up?"

"I," Castiel paused, and then a look of true concern rushed over his face, Dean's expression changed as well. "I met with Metatron…"

"You what," Dean exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me Cas, I would've gone with you?!"

"He caught me by surprise Dean," Castiel quickly started to explain. "He made a fake reality and transported me back to the warehouse. He tried to talk to me, tried to get me to surrender. I refused. He said I had twenty four hours…I don't know that means."

Dean sat up now, his full attention on the distraught angel. Titan slinked away, sensing his master's distress. Castiel's eyes met Dean's and they were filled with angst, worry, and above all: pain. Castiel was in pain. He wouldn't tell Dean why either. He had been walking with a slight limp ever since the warehouse. Dean figured he thought he hadn't noticed, but he did.

"Screw that," Dean said, catching the angel a bit by surprise. "He's not going to get away with that. You've supposedly got 'til tomorrow morning right? Or so the "overlord" says. He wins if we're just sitting here, biding our time, we need to go somewhere, do something."

Dean got up from the bed and Castiel turned his head away, as if he were looking at something he shouldn't. Dean pulled on his jacket and shrugged the collar up. He turned to Castiel.

"Let's go get a burger and talk about our next move," Dean said. "I'm starving."

Dean really only wanted an excuse though, an excuse not to sleep even though he was so tired. Excuses not to be alone with his thoughts for even a mere second; his thoughts were scaring him nowadays. He walked out of the room just as Castiel up from the edge of the bed.

"_I'm surprised he hasn't done something far more extreme by now," _Titan piped up, Dean could no longer hear him. "_I know what you've done Castiel…"_

"You are not to tell him," Castiel stared at Titan with the wrath of Heaven in his eyes. "Or I'll have to eliminate your ability to speak."

Titan whined, but maintained his position. He didn't slink away, but merely bowed his head to Castiel in a submissive manner. Castiel turned to leave, feeling the hound's golden eyes on him.

"_He'll figure it out," _Titan stood and his eyes flashed white. "_And when He does all Hell will rain down upon you."_

Titan disappeared when Castiel turned around again to speak back. Castiel sighed. He knew Titan hadn't been speaking of Dean. Castiel honestly, at this point, didn't care what his Father had to do with any of this. He figured that he had failed his Father so many times in the past, what harm was one more time? Castiel finally sighed before shutting the door behind him, an echo protruding through the empty room.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Heaven was in frenzy. It hadn't been calm since Metatron's escape. Various angels had taken over the job of Guards. The guarded the prison cells and the borders of Heaven to make sure there was no way anyone else could get out without permission and if Metatron got back in somehow, that he'd stay back in. The Distinguished Angel Council had been hard at work surveying potential flaws in the system that had allowed Metatron to escape. They were in charge of all things angelic crime and punishment.

"Perhaps we have a traitor in our midst," Donathan, leader of the Council exclaimed, he was quite the extremist. He had taken the position by force and by no one's choice or vote. Everyone wanted him out, but no one had the guts to put him in his place without fear of retaliation. "I mean who wouldn't have the brains to know that if you give a Scribe paper bad things will happen?"

"It merely depends on how they choose to use it Donathan," Ezra piped up, his meek and shy voice echoing through the Council hall. "I mean—"

"I know that," Donathan bellowed, he earned his authority by yelling and force as well. "I'm not stupid."

"I wasn't implying that you were I just…" Ezra swallowed hard.

"Shut up." Donathan snipped.

"Come off it Donathan," Cathalsis, an angel with short brown hair and paler skin said. He was known for his dabbling in medicine, but he preferred his position of power most days. "I swear, does being utterly unproductive and accepting no ideas but your own get you off?"

"Did I ask for your opinion?" Donathan glared at Cathalsis, who stared back with the same fervor.

Anorath, another angel with black hair a bit longer than Cathalsis' and mousy eyes, rolled his eyes from his seat and leaned over to Camael, a more recently added angel to the Council; he chuckled.

"Maybe if Donathan would pull the stick out of his ass the meetings wouldn't go like this," Anorath joked. Camael, who had almost white blonde hair and piercing green eyes, chuckled as well. "I swear if Lucifer was still Council leader we'd at least get some things done."

"He's too proud," Camael commented. "We've always known that."

Donathan paused; he turned to the center of the room where there stood an orb of sorts. It showed him the earth or more specifically anyone he wanted it to. Certain angels, who knew of how the Council operated, could work their way around it, but most of them were clueless. Donathan looked deep into the yellowish gold flame.

"_He'll figure it out, and when He does all Hell will rain down upon you."_

_ "You are not to tell him or I'll eliminate your ability to speak."_

"What do we have here," Donathan asked with a hint of deviousness in his voice. "The great Castiel has done something Council worthy again. This is most interesting."

"He is not our focus Donathan," Ezra shyly spoke up again. "We should focus on Metatron, on the matter at hand."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up," Donathan turned to face him and Ezra immediately obeyed. "This, this is most interesting. This is most an almost delicious turn of events. Castiel is a direct link to Metatron. The two are warring with one another as we speak. We simply have to wait until they're face to face and then make our move."

"And what," Cathalsis said rather unenthusiastically. "Pray tell, is that?"

Donathan whistled and two Angelhounds popped up in the room. One, a Dalmatian, the other a snarling Rottweiler; both of them looked equally as ferocious though. Both hounds' eyes flashed white before they sat, ready to obey their master.

"Atlas," Donathan looked to the Rottweiler, and then he looked to the Dalmatian. "Harley. I have a job for you two…"

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

A tension filled day turned into a sleepless night and then to another tension filled day for Dean and Castiel. Castiel already didn't sleep so he'd stayed up all night waiting in anticipation for what Metatron had planned. Dean didn't sleep at all either, his nightmares plaguing him along with what the Scribe turned God plans were for Castiel. The sun peaked through the window in Dean's room and woke him up from a restless slumber. He got up, shrugged on his jacket, and grabbed his knife like it was all methodic. Titan pushed his nose into Dean's leg and nudged him. Dean looked down at the hound whose features showed worry.

"I'll be fine Titan," Dean scratched in between the hound's ears. "So will Cas, we'll be fine."

Dean left the room, leaving his hound friend by the bed, Titan whined and his ears drooped.

"_That's not what I'm worried about Winchester."_

Dean met Castiel in the front yard; Castiel was donning his usual attire: trench coat and dress suit with nice shoes. What Jimmy had worn when the angel had taken him as a vessel. Castiel stared at Dean like a well seasoned solider, which Dean could only imagine that Castiel was. Dean cocked his gun.

"That won't kill him Dean," Castiel explained. "Much less hurt him."

"Hey," Dean shrugged. "It'll catch him off guard at the least."

"If you boys are referring to me," Both Castiel and Dean turned to see Metatron himself, standing across from them. "The least you could do is addressing me."

"Take one more step and I swear to God I'll kill you…" Dean practically snarled.

"Swear to Him all you want Dean," Metatron said, much louder. "He's not listening anymore."

Dean watched as those words shot through Castiel like ten rounds from a pistol. Castiel barely flinched as he tossed his blade, aiming at Metatron. The former Scribe caught it though before it could pierce through his vessel. Castiel glared and Metatron smirked, letting the blade fall to the ground, tossing it behind him.

"No need for that," he chuckled. "Really Castiel, I thought you were more civil than that?"

"Not when it comes to you," Castiel's eyes were glaring daggers at the former Scribe. "Stand down Metatron or I will send you Home and not in the nicest way."

"I hope you know I'm not afraid of you Castiel," Metatron paced, Castiel following his every move. Dean watched the two of them. He'd so rarely seen this side of Castiel. "In fact I'd say I've practically got this thing in the bag."

"Is that so," Castiel asked, his demeanor changing from unsure angel to annoying, taunting, older brother mode. "There is no way you're going to get away with us without being noticed. I know the ways of the Council. In fact I'm sure they're biding their time right about now."

As Castiel said that, two Angelhounds appeared. A Dalmatian named Harley and a Rottweiler named Atlas. They growled and snarled behind Castiel, their eyes bright white. They started to advance before, almost as though they were given imaginary orders, they stopped, sat, and watched. Dean stared, confused. Castiel did the same. Metatron smirked.

"Now," he said, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket and holding it in front of him. "It's my turn. I'd like you to hear my latest story Castiel."

Dean felt the wind pick up around them and the trees' branches begun to shake and shiver in the heavy breeze. It whipped and howled. Castiel shielded his eyes as fragments of stick and branch begun to fly closer and closer to him. Dean did the same. The Angelhounds sat, unaffected.

"_And the wind howled and whipped around Castiel as he stood stone solid like the good little soldier he'd always tried to be," _Metatron read his writing, his eyes motioning to Castiel. "_Daddy's brave little soldier thought he could win the fight. He'd thrown his only weapon at the faster, bolder, Metatron. He held his arms up in defense, shielding his eyes from the debris. His fearless human companion Dean Winchester stood near him, watching defenselessly as he was powerless to intervene. Castiel stood stone solid, that is until the earth started to open up behind him."_

Metatron's eyes met Castiel's and Castiel looked back to see a crack in the dirt. A small crevice started to form, the winds sucking into it. Castiel's feared filled eyes flicked to Dean then back to Metatron.

"_He struggled to maintain his footing as the earth moved beneath him. He stumbled backwards, falling into the crevice and hanging on for dear life by the edge. His fingers digging into the dirt and his face contorting as he struggled to hold himself up."_

Castiel did just that.

"Cas!" Dean yelled out over the wind, but found himself unable to move.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam had his foot all the way down to the floor on the gas pedal. He did the sloppiest parking job known to man, but he didn't care. He jumped out of the Impala, pocketing the keys and running towards the front door. He was stopped by Titan, who had busted out of the bunker and had started to run towards the scene out back.

"Titan," Sam cried out in alarm. "Where's Dean?!"

_"Out back," _Titan barked. "_Metatron's there! Castiel…he's…"_

Sam took off suddenly to the backyard, Titan right at his heels. Sam regretted going on that hunt on his own. If he hadn't left he could've been there for Castiel and Dean. He wouldn't be running now. Sam almost tripped, but maintained his footing until he stopped short at what he saw in the backyard.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"Cas," Dean exclaimed and ran over to his friend who was dangling from the side of the crevice, barely able to still hang on. "Damn it Cas!"

"_Dean Winchester ran over to the brave little soldier," _Metatron said, excitement in his voice. "_His voice cracked as he called his name. His brother Sam and loyal Angelhound Titan stood, helpless, unable to move and reach the both of them."_

"You bastard!" Sam yelled, finding he was indeed unable to move.

"Dean," Castiel yelled over the wind as Dean took the angel's hand, hoping to pull him back up. "Let go!"

"No," Dean yelled back. "Damn it Cas I'm not letting go you'll fall!"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Metatron smirked.

"Then let me fall," Castiel exclaimed. "Dean, go! Save yourself! Kill the bastard!"

_"Dean found that he couldn't let go," _Metatron recited. "_No matter how hard he tried, he never could let go of Castiel."_

"No!" Dean practically screamed, Castiel could feel the earth giving way.

"_The earth started to fall in too, the crevice would be no more soon," _Metatron read. "_Dean refused to let go, Castiel refused to get out. Castiel felt his fingers slipping. Dean felt his breaths grow short. The crevice was closing, the crevice to Hell."_

"Dean," Castiel pleaded.

"I can't Cas…" Dean held onto him, suddenly he took a deep breath and as Castiel started to fall, Dean leaped into the crevice too. The wind sucked them fast, deep, into the crevice leading straight to the deepest part of Hell.

It was like slow motion after that, Harley and Atlas didn't flinch, they watched. Metatron's smirk grew. Sam's scream of Dean and Castiel's names pierced through the air and Titan's howl could shatter eardrums. Within seconds, the crevice closed and Metatron let out an evil laugh.

_"And with that, the Righteous man and the Fallen one serve the penance they so deserve."_

Sam ran forward, ready to kill, Titan snarled and followed before they could two angels appeared and each grabbed one of Metatron's arms. Metatron was shocked, he jumped and tried to get free but was unable after the angelic hand cuffs were placed on his wrists. Sam stared in disbelief at the angels and the hounds as they walked closer to Metatron, inspecting him before turning to Titan and Sam.

"It's about time," Sam exclaimed. "You dicks showed up! You couldn't have stopped that?!"

"_Orders of Donathan_," Atlas said. "_Direct. To capture the escaped prisoner. That has been done."_

"But," Sam sputtered. "But what about my brother and Cas?!"

_"They are to serve the penance they deserve," _Harley replied. "_It only makes sense that the fallen angel be exiled to Hell with the man who caused him to fall in the first place."_

Titan snarled and jumped forward, snapping at Harley's throat. Harley growled and raised his hackles, preparing for a fight. Atlas; however, intervened.

"_Stand down." _He said to both of them and they both obeyed.

"I'm sorry Sam Winchester," one of the angels said. "But our job is done. Nothing can be done to help your brother and Castiel now."

The angels flew away with Metatron in tow. The Angelhounds disappeared. Titan looked around, running rapidly over to the spot where the crevice had been and digging frantically, finding nothing. Sam's gaze fell upon the hole and immediately he felt the feeling that he was going to be sick. His brother and Castiel had fallen into Hell and who knew how long this time.

Sam didn't even feel the wind die down and the gentle breeze as it caressed his cheek.

**Reviews are appreciated! I hope this chapter was more interesting than all the rest. More to come soon guys!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm back again with another installment. I'm sorry it's been so long. College makes things hard to keep up with. It's my fault for making more than one story happen at a time. I didn't meet my deadline on this story before the premiere, but I'm keeping it up in case the season 10 saga sucks! I hope it won't. Here's a new chapter. I realize that Season 10 is not the last season, but I'm still treating it like it is in this story.**

Chapter 14

Dean felt a sudden rush of cold air as he and Castiel fell deeper into the darkness. He felt the chills run up his spine and engulf it, like they were a disembodied hand reaching out to strangle the inside of him. He could only imagine if Castiel was feeling the same thing. It was endless falling, endless and tiresome. Dean didn't let go though, he didn't loosen his grip on the angel. Dean heard voices, he heard souls' voices calling out to them, but he was helpless to answer them in any way. Finally the darkness started letting up and Dean saw light in sight beneath him and Castiel. The coldness started fading and suddenly Dean hit solid ground in a heap, Castiel was tossed beside him and he laid on his side, face in the dirt.

"Why did you do that…?" Castiel croaked out, sitting up and practically glaring at Dean.

"You'd have done the same damn thing," Dean grunted and tried to get up, he grabbed at his leg though and hissed in pain. "You happen to remember purgatory or no?"

Castiel didn't say anything; he only gathered his bearings instead and fixed his trench coat. Dean groaned as he looked down at his mangled leg. He'd cut it up in the fall, but judging by the way he'd landed it was probably broken too.

"Before you even ask," Castiel said. "No, I can't heal you. Not here."

"Just my luck," Dean shifted in the dirt, digging his fingers into so much that dirt made its way up and underneath his fingernails and his hands were one with it. He attempted to push himself upright. He managed to balance on one leg, not putting weight on the other. "I guess the more important question is where in hell we are?"

Castiel and Dean both looked around. There was nothing, but barren dirt. The occasional little black weed looking plant poked out of the earth. It appeared as though they were in some kind of endless cave. The walls crept upwards to nowhere; there was no ceiling per se in sight, just darkness with no end. Dean reached around to his back pocket and checking to see if his rifle survived the fall, luckily it had because he figured he'd need it wherever they had landed. He felt along the grooves of the trigger, it reassured him and gave him comfort whenever he was hunting. Castiel sighed and looked behind him and to the sides of him at the endless cavern pathways that looked as though they too led to nowhere.

"This is deeper than the Realms." Castiel commented.

"Excuse me," Dean replied. "But what?"

"There are six Realms in Hell," Castiel explained. "Just as there are seven in Heaven. They guard the deeper depths of Hell where the souls of the damned are trapped. Where the prisoners of Hell and Heaven are kept. They are above us. We are, unfortunately, in the deepest parts of Hell Dean."

"Great," Dean replied, his voice lowering like it did when he was mad. "That's just great. Thanks a lot Metadouche!"

When Dean screamed the walls of Hell shook a little. They were very old and sort of brittle even for dirt. Castiel made the conclusion that no one had walked the paths since long before Dean and he landed in the part they were in. Castiel tried to pinpoint some of the voices. Gangsters, mobsters, rapists, murderers, demons, even fallen angels.

"Were near Lucifer's cage," Castiel explained. "It is that way along with the torture chambers of the souls of the damned. We'd be best off if we went left."

"Yeah I have firsthand experience with the torture chambers and I'd rather not go back thank you," Dean struggled to walk, limping and stumbling a lot. "I take it this is where I was chained down the first time I went down here?"

"The exact place," Castiel replied. "We won't be going there Dean. I have no desire to either."

Dean limped over to the wall and leaned against it. His forehead glistened with sweat from the pain and humidity from the neighboring areas of the deepest part of Hell. It still wasn't registering in Dean's head that he was in Hell once again. He'd always thought his life would end like this, stuck in Hell once again.

"You're not going to die Dean." Castiel said as calmly as he could muster.

"So you can read my mind," Dean asked. "But you can't heal me?"

"I never said I was totally powerless." Castiel commented.

"Only where it counts." Dean grumbled again and Castiel gave him an annoyed look. The angel was in pain and rather annoyed with his friend's lack of faith that he'd somehow manage to get both him and Dean out of there. If only he could figure out how?

"I need to find something for my leg then," Dean spoke up, breaking Castiel's train of thought. "I say we try this way. Somehow it seems the least threatening."

Dean sarcastically chuckled at the thought and as he limped away into the impending darkness Castiel followed close behind, leaving where they had been barren and ghostly empty once again.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Yelling and protests were heard from way below Heaven's top Realm as the two angels that had been sent to capture Metatron dragged their catch to the Angel Council. Angels, Archangels, and Angelhounds all gathered, forming lines around the pathway to protest and scream their obscenities at the traitor. Seraphim grumbled and gave looks of disgrace at Metatron, Angelhounds growled and snapped at his heels, but were quickly dismissed by their masters. Metatron put up a bit of a fight, but not quite enough to break free. The "Big House" as it was called among Heaven's residents was just ahead. Angels yelled.

"Kill the traitor!"

"Burn him in holy oil!"

"Throw him into Hell!"

"Kill the traitor!"

"Kill the traitor!"

"Kill the traitor!"

Soon their voices became a mish mash of sounds and garbles mixed with Angelhound growls and yips. Before Metatron could begin to distinguish who was saying what again the doors to the Big House shut behind him, leaving him separated from those who hated him.

"Oh c'mon," Metatron smirked. "You're just gonna leave my fan club out there waiting for me?"

The angels didn't reply. They simply kept walking, dragging him along with them. They walked silently through the hallway that was painted and bathed in gold. On the walls were portraits of Heaven's most famous archangels and various Heavenly Realms. There was the occasional mirror and the ceiling was high with golden chandelier lights hanging from it. The floors were polished white marble and long ornate rugs were placed over them leading down the hallways to the various rooms. The room at the end of the hall was guarded by a wooden double door and had a plaque hanging above it, inscribed in Enochian was: "United We Stand, United We Shall Stay", the motto of the Distinguished Angel Council. The two Warrior angels pushed open the double doors and inside sat the whole council, prepared for what was to come. The Warrior angels brought Metatron forward, Donathan nodded at them and they bowed their heads to him respectably before departing, closing the doors behind them.

"So," Donathan's voice boomed in the small room. "You thought you were being clever didn't you? Asking a guard for a piece of paper and writing your way out?"

"He was stupid enough to give it to me wasn't he?" Metatron replied.

"That's beside the point," Donathan yelled, the other council members jumped a little, they were also a bit put off at Donathan's lack of defense in one of his own, but they hadn't expect any different from him. "The point is you can't even begin to fathom how much trouble you're in."

Donathan left his seat on the Council and approached Metatron. Metatron had the option of fleeing right now, but he cuffed and he wanted to hear what Donathan had to say to him this time.

"You're a character you know that Donathan?" Metatron chuckled.

"Stop making this about anyone but you," Donathan raised his voice. "You pig! You're worse than Lucifer!"

Everyone swallowed hard. That was the lowest blow ever, they were shocked Donathan had even used Heaven's most hated as an example, but then again everyone was terrified of the power the tyrant angel had succeeded in achieving over the millennia he had taken over as Council leader and thus didn't speak out against him.

"Watch it now," Metatron replied. "Lucifer went against dear old Dad and all of humanity and his siblings. I just wrote a story."

"I don't see how locking all your fellow angels out of their home," Donathan begun to list everything Metatron had done. "Forcing us to be human, forcing us to live a life that made us turn against each other and rebel against everything we've ever stood for, and making yourself a new self proclaimed God is any different?"

"Easy," Metatron said. "Because I was better at it."

Donathan growled and grabbed Metatron by his collar, almost lifting him off of the ground. Cathalsis tried to say something in protest against his actions, but Donathan didn't hear him or rather he chose to ignore him. Donathan's eyes bore into Metatron's and he raised his fist at him.

"You wouldn't hit a prisoner that's not very angelic of you Donathan," Metatron smirked again. "C'mon look at me. Do I look like a monster to you?"

Donathan paused a moment and begrudgingly lowered his fist. He pushed Metatron away and faced the Council, before turning back around.

"We hear pray tell that you have cast The Righteous Man and Castiel down into Hell," Donathan said. "Where have you sent them?"

"Somewhere," Metatron replied. "Where you'll never find them and Father help us they won't get out."

"I've heard enough," Donathan announced. "Take him away!"

The two Warrior angels, as if hearing his command, walked through the double doors once again and grabbed each of Metatron's arms.

"Take him to the maximum security prison cells," Donathan ordered, a fire burned in his eyes every time he gave the order for someone to go to Heaven's jail, it was like he got off on it. "The ones where he's guaranteed not to escape and watch him yourselves. Don't give him anything, but food when it's time. We won't have this happening again."

The Warrior angels nodded and dragged Metatron away. His fiery eyes met Donathan's equally as fiery ones and the doors closed behind them. The Council descended from their positions and started to disperse. Cathalsis approached Donathan, Ezra nervously and close behind him. Donathan turned to face them, an annoyed look in his eyes.

"What of Castiel and the Winchester," Cathalsis asked. "Are they not under Heaven's watch?"

"Aren't you going to try and save them?" Ezra piped up, utterly terrified of Donathan and always questioning why he'd decided to join the Council that Donathan led in the first place.

"Don't ask stupid questions," Donathan directed that response towards Ezra who slinked away from him and slightly behind Cathalsis. "They are in Hell. They are not our problem anymore. Besides the angel Castiel has caused enough trouble due to this Winchester boy. If they survive, good for them. If they don't, however; I consider it their just desserts."

Ezra looked worried. Cathalsis shook his head in disgust and Donathan turned tail and left the two standing in the center of the Council room.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam cursed and stomped around the bunker, hoping this was some kind of dream. His brother and his best friend were in Hell, again! Sam pounded his fist on the dining room table and let out a cry of frustration. He had received a call, a phone call that Dean was in trouble. If only he'd have gotten there fast enough, Sam cursed himself this time. He should've gotten there faster.

"_Metatron was the one who called you," _Titan came up beside the younger Winchester. "_He sent the fake phone call that Dean was in trouble to get you here. He wanted you to see what he'd done. He hadn't planned on the angels showing up."_

"Thanks Titan," Sam grumbled. "But somehow I don't feel any better."

_"He tricked you Sam," _Titan barked and came closer. "_That's the point I'm making here. You were tricked. How were you to know it wasn't real? You can't blame yourself for this. Dean made the choice to jump. He made that choice alone. Now all we can focus on is getting them home."_

Sam looked over at the Angelhound. Titan was right. He was absolutely right. Sam could do this, he could get Dean and Castiel home, even if it meant calling on every demon, angel, creature, and hunter he knew in the world. He would do it. He'd do anything to get his brother back, even if it was in fact his brother's own mess. Titan sat by Sam's side and nuzzled his hand. Sam contemplated his next move.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**So Dean and Castiel have fallen into the deepest part of Hell.**

**What dangers lie ahead for them?**

**And what will Heaven do about Metatron and will they do anything to save Dean and Cas?**

**What will Sam do?**

**More to come!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Dean couldn't tell if the air was actually getting thinner or if it was just his imagination, but all he knew was that he was out of breath almost constantly as he and Castiel trudged on in the deepest of Hell and he felt as though he couldn't get enough air. But he also chalked it up to the fact that his leg was throbbing in pain and bleeding profusely. Dean had had his hand on the cut the entire time he and Castiel had been trekking, but he needed something else. He needed something so that he could walk without the assistance of the angel. About halfway through their journey Dean had fallen and cried out in pain. Castiel had taken pity on the hunter and helped him up, offering a shoulder for support. Dean had hesitated, but eventually taken it. Now, he and the angel walked through a dark cavern lit only by torches and even then it was still difficult to see.

"Can you see anything?" Dean asked Castiel who was squinting and trying to see what lay ahead of them.

"I'm afraid not Dean," Castiel replied. "It is as dark as ever. It is nearly impossible for me to tell what is behind us, much less what is in front of us."

"That's comforting…" Dean rolled his eyes; he was in far too much pain to debate or even talk. Every step the hunter took was agony. It was as though everything was magnified and intensified in Hell. Dean felt the heat permeating through the walls, from the fires in the other cavern. The torture chamber. The place that Dean had been held so many years ago when Castiel first rescued him from Hell. He felt this cold though also, he assumed the cold was the same as Lucifer's heart. This stinging, ragged, cold that seeped into his core and his bones and chilled him. He'd heard that the fallen archangel burned cold instead of his usual angelic companions. This was his stomping ground and they were near his grave. Dean couldn't help, but wonder if the cold and the heat mixed together was a side effect due to Michael's and Lucifer's constant bickering within the cage. That or Dean's blood loss was making him a bit delirious.

"I see a bit of light at the end," Dean pointed in front of them. "Maybe we're headed towards an opening?"

"Hell is tricky Dean," Castiel explained. "We might be in more danger than what we started with."

"I thought angels radiated hope," Dean rolled his eyes, limping forward as Castiel tried to match the injured hunter's speed. "Boy aren't you a beacon?"

"I would appreciate it," Castiel's tone turned into something deeper, more serious than Dean had ever heard. "If you would refrain from such sarcasm and ragging on me. I did not put you in this mess Dean you chose to fall down into this pit with me. Now please in your own words, shut up."

Dean was put off by the angel's words. It didn't take a genius to know that Castiel was still in some pretty serious pain by taking one look at him Dean knew by his limp and the way his face was contorting with each step. He'd yet to ask why, ever since the angel had first appeared to him, hurt like a severely injured animal. Dean was going to respond to him, but figured it was better if he heeded Castiel's word and "shut up", so he did. He and the angel continued on without a word exchanged until they reached the other end of the tunnel.

The area they had reached was more wide open than the one they had just come from. There was yet again, an endless ceiling and the ground was made of dirt. The only difference Dean could see was that there was a small flowing river on the right of the space and a bunch of gnarled trees on the left. The trees were shrouded in mist and the river was flowing endlessly and rapidly. They weren't very tall; in fact Dean was thoroughly surprised they were even growing at all. They had no source of sunlight or water or anything plants needed to grow. But who was he to question Hell?

"We should keep moving as fast as we can," Castiel instructed. "If we can reach some sort of shelter within a few hours we'll be safe for the night."

"Hold on now Cas," Dean let go of the angel's shoulder and started to limp over towards the trees. "I need something to splint my leg with. I'm gonna use the tree bark."

"Dean," Castiel urged. "We need to keep moving. I do not believe that is wise."

Dean didn't hear Castiel. He limped over to the pseudo-forest and was immediately almost choked by the mist. He pushed on though and over to one of the trees near the edge. He tore off two strips of bark and fastened them around his wound, tightening them and securing them with his shoelaces. Even the tree bark felt cold, but Dean assumed that was due to no sunlight. The bark itself was black and had a rough texture. The hunter started to walk almost normally back over to Castiel until he looked to his right. There against the tree was nothing, but white connected to white. Dean's vision blurred for a split second, but he could've sworn he was seeing a human skeleton. He shook off his thoughts and started forward again, but this time a searing white hot pain shot up through his leg and Dean felt woozy. He leaned against a tree behind him as the small forest spun.

Before him it was as if the mist had taken shape. There were human forms swirling through it and zipping about everywhere. They appeared to be ghosts, but Dean couldn't tell. They weren't very clear, but then again neither was his vision. The "ghosts" stared at him. Their eyes went red. They started creeping towards him. One part of the mist changed into the form of what could've easily been a Hellhound, but soon disappeared before reappearing closer to Dean than before. Their voices were what was the most startling.

_"Murderer!'_

_ "Vile being!"_

_ "Demon!"_

_ "Garbage! He must be killed!"_

Dean begun to sweat, he couldn't move and he couldn't speak for his words caught in his throat. The only thing Dean could do was pray to an angel he'd lost beyond the mist and hope he'd live.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Titan's claws clicked on the floor of the Big House as he walked down its marble hallway. The hound tried to be deathly quiet, but to no avail. The Big House hadn't really been made for Angelhounds and quite frankly Titan had a hard time staying upright on the slippery floor when his claws were exposed. He'd almost fallen five different times, all while he was simply trying to make it down the hall. But Titan continued on diligently, he was on a mission after all. He'd taken it upon himself to get the dirt on Metatron and all that was going on with that situation. He owed Dean that much if anything. Titan was still trying to decode Crowley's cryptic response as it was.

"_He's got one hell of a guardian angel."_

Titan contemplated the obvious. Castiel had been in a lot of pain lately and had appeared to be less like himself. But no, Castiel couldn't possibly have done what Crowley was suggesting? It would make sense, but Titan hadn't heard of an angel doing that in years. Not since Raziel had done it. If that was the case then Castiel and Dean needed to get out of Hell and fast before bad things happened. Titan couldn't worry about that now though, right now his priority was gathering information for Sam down below on earth and once he delivered it he'd bring up the possibility to Sam. Titan padded across the floor softly and crouched low when he reached the semi open door to the Angel Council's room. The last thing he needed was them spotting him and asking questions. They knew who he served now and it wasn't worth the risk. Titan sat down on the floor then laid down, his belly on the cool floor and his ear perked up and against the door.

"We can't risk him escaping again." Anorath brought up a valid point.

"Maximum security prison is good for now," Cathalsis stated. "But if we keep him there for too long, the man power will be too great. He'll need constant monitoring and guarding."

"Agreed," Donathan spoke up, his voice sounding ragged and weathered as though he'd been the one to drag Metatron off to his cell. "I say we leave him there to rot for now then we decide on the best course of action. There's no decision we can make that will satisfy every angel in Heaven. They all want him dead."

"So why don't we just kill him then?" Camael suggested. "We'd eliminate a big problem and free up some jail space."

"Unfortunately we're not that unethical," Donathan said. "Although I have to agree with you, it would eliminate multiple issues."

Titan whined as quietly as he could. Honestly, he hated Donathan. He'd hated him since the angel had taken over and basically turned Heaven into what the humans called "Judge Judy", but on steroids. He always took angelic crime way too seriously with over the top punishments or jail time for no reason. Even simple misdemeanors would cost angels almost everything. There were times when he was so glad to be a hound, but others where he wished he wasn't so he could do something.

"Why not clip his wings," the smaller voice of Ezra spoke up. "Make him fall? Make him human."

Titan liked that idea. Ezra, well Ecanus seeing as Titan knew the angel's real identity, had always been a reasonable angel. He was a former Scribe of Heaven after all. Reason and using one's words effectively had been his specialty. He had been glad to hear that the young angel had made it onto the Council by vote. They needed a voice of reason sometimes.

"I like that idea best." Anorath said.

"I do as well." Cathalsis agreed.

The others nodded in unison. Even Camael, after rolling his eyes, agreed on the solution. Ezra smiled proudly at himself.

"Fine then," Donathan decreed. "It is decided that Metatron, the prisoner, will face the standard thirty day incarceration, but after his sentence is up his wings shall be plucked and he shall be cast down to earth to start anew, be human and never again return to his homeland and to me brothers that is a punishment worse than death."

Titan peered around the corner long enough to see a satisfied grin on Donathan's face before the Angelhound tucked tail and ran away from the doors and down the hall. This time he only slipped once.

When he transported back to the bunker, he found Sam pouring over books of lore with a look of deep concentration on his face. Titan hated to disturb the hunter, though he could've sworn Sam had been taking a nap not too long ago. He approached slowly and nudged Sam's side with his wet snout. Sam shook his head as though to clear his thoughts and looked over at the hound.

"_You look as though you've seen a ghost?" _Titan cocked his head and stared at Sam.

"You're not wrong," Sam replied, he'd been harassed by Kevin again. He'd still yet to figure out why or even where Kevin was coming from besides the veil of death. That was pretty obvious. "But that's not important, what did you find out?"

"_They're going to cut Metatron's wings and his grace," _Titan sat down, scratched behind his ear, and put his leg back down. _"They're going to make him human."_

"That's great news," Sam almost felt overjoyed, almost. "But only if they do that, there's no way he can bring Dean and Cas back."

"_I'm sure that even if there was a way now," _Titan replied, panting a bit. "_He still wouldn't."_

"Well thanks for the hope there buddy," Sam rolled his eyes and looked back over at the book. "You're a real help in the spying department, but as Dean said to me we've gotta work on your bedside manner."

"_I do believe bestiality is frowned upon in the modern world." _Titan stood up and slinked around to the side of the table before jumping up onto it and lying down. He only tended to do that if he had a point to make.

"Thanks for the much needed information." Sam said.

_ "You're welcome, but I am afraid that is not the information you need to know Sam," _Titan stared at Sam with worrisome yellow eyes. "_And I'm afraid that you're not going to like what I'm about to tell you…"_

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"_Dean!" _

_ "Dean!"_

"Dean!" Castiel shook the hunter awake. Dean groggily opened his eyes and stared up into Castiel's worry filled blue ones. Castiel had one arm behind Dean's back and the other by his leg. Dean looked around; he found that the mist no longer surrounded him. The trees were gone as well. The air was clear and he felt as though he could breathe again. He took a deep breath, in fact, before trying to stand. Castiel stopped him.

"You entered the Forest Of Truth," Castiel explained, motioning to Dean's soaked leg. "It shows you your greatest fears and truths about yourself. A lot of people can't handle it and pass out, eventually forever as they're consumed by their fears. I managed to pull you out just in time. Typically it takes awhile for the poison in the tree bark to get into one's system, but since you placed it on an open wound it worked in record time."

"That doesn't s'plain why my leg is wet?" Dean sort of slurred.

"I had to rid the wood you used for a splint of its curse," Castiel said. "I had to remove it from your leg and dip it in the River Styx which is next to us."

Castiel motioned to the river and Dean looked over at it. To the average eye it looked like a normal river from afar, but if he listened carefully Dean could hear screams of agony from damned souls.

"I used what was left of my power reserve for now," Castiel sighed. "On ridding the poison from your system, it appears we are walking from here for sure now."

"Great," Dean grunted and lifted himself up; Castiel steadied him and let him lean on his shoulder for added support. "Well at least it's still two of us. I didn't die back there and now I'll be twice as careful around here."

"I am not letting you out of my sight again," Castiel scolded Dean like a parent did a child, but it seemed less paternal to Dean. It seemed heartfelt and deeper. "I almost lost you and I'm not going to lose you. Not down here."

Dean looked into Castiel's eyes for a moment as they met his. Castiel's eyes were full of settling rage, worry, and pain. Dean had yet to pinpoint why Castiel was behaving in such a strange way, but he decided once again like the things in Hell, not to question it. Castiel looked away and towards two other paths leading towards cavernous tunnels.

"It is now or never I suppose," Castiel motioned towards the one on the right. "C'mon Dean."

Dean, after stumbling a few times before getting his rhythm down in the splint, reluctantly followed the angel down the next long and dark tunnel

**Reviews are welcome!**

**So? Heaven is going to make Metatron human? Good or bad idea?**

**And what was Titan going to tell Sam?**

**When Cas and Dean ever get out of Hell?**

**More to come soon!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Sam hadn't slept in a few days. Well, he had barely slept. He had been moving about the bunker the way a zombie walked the earth, slow and lacking his usual level of life. All he could think about was Dean falling into oblivion in Hell, Castiel right behind him. It wasn't the first time Dean or Sam had been to Hell, but Sam had hoped anytime before now would be the last. Now, he felt this hollowness deep inside his gut as he walked about the bunker. It was like his left arm had been cut off, forget his arm his whole left side. Dean had left him before, but this time it felt different. It felt as though instead of Dean being ripped away, he'd chosen to leave.

Sam could understand why, but it still hurt.

Sam had spent hours at night tossing and turning in his sleep, only to shoot up in bed with a start and in a sweat before walking towards the bathroom and slamming the door. This had become his routine every night since Dean had taken the plunge. That was the number one cause of his zombified nature. Titan had taken notice. He'd meandered his way into Sam's dream once and he'd found that he was in the center of some swampy marsh that was caked in fog. There were disemboweled bodies and decapitated heads everywhere and Titan had nearly jumped out of his skin when a few had started talking to him. The hound had looked behind his back multiple times before walking forward searching for the dreamer himself. He'd trekked through the marsh and the dingy, cold water towards wherever the trail took him. Titan's paws were covered in mud and grime and once he even fell in a hole in the earth. This piercing sharp and snarky laugh filled the air from seemingly nowhere. Titan growled at the ghostly laugh and pulled himself out of the mud. Once he reached solid ground he ran.

He'd found Sam in the center of the marsh where the mud had become dirt and the fog had circled the area like a wolf circling its prey before the kill. Sam appeared to be terrified as he looked around him and suddenly this thick black ink-like substance started flowing up his veins. It eventually reached his eyes and they went black as he screamed.

Titan had left the man's dream after that and jumped up on his bed in the waking world. He'd nudged Sam's cheek then licked it, waking him up. Sam had stared at Titan and then grabbed a chunk of the hound's fur and held onto it. Titan had let him. Sam needed to know he was real. Titan had licked his hand and sent soothing vibes to Sam's head. Sam had lain back down and closed his eyes, only to fall back into dream land. Titan had watched him carefully, before turning his head towards the window in the room as the moon's rays rained down upon the sleeping hunter. The hound's eyes had fallen on the spot where Dean and Castiel had taken the dive in the bunker's back yard and let out a deep sigh.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The wind howled outside of the bunker and the cold rain poured down and battered against the windowpanes two weeks after Dean and Castiel disappeared. Titan watched as Sam sat at the dining room table, books spread out in front of him as he absentmindedly flipped through pages. Titan's gaze switched from Sam to the windows then back to Sam. He was worried about him, worried he was drowning in his own internal misery. He'd been searching endlessly for weeks for a way out for his brother and his friend, but had found nothing. There wasn't much life in the bunker, Sam came and went occasionally, leaving for supplies and the occasional small hunt nearby. Titan had tried to make contact with the disdained hunter, but he wouldn't give the hound the time of day.

Like now, as Titan scrambled back and forth as Sam paced the floor, trying to get his attention, but Sam seemed to see right through him. There wasn't much love to go around. Sam's gaze had grown colder and more hostile and agitated. Titan had even been pushed away, ignored, and even kicked off of the bed one time, he still wasn't sure if that was accidental. All the hound knew was that soon Metatron's punishment would come to pass and the angel would walk among them, trampling over their hopes of getting Dean and Castiel back. He also knew now that there was a deep rooted part of Sam that just didn't care anymore and that alone scared the living Hell out of him.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean and Castiel walked on. Their trek the night before in Hell had led them to another open cavern. This one had been darker though, most of the torches were burnt out and it was cold, so cold. Dean had lain down near a rock so that some of the cold air could be blocked from hitting his body. Castiel had sat nearby and watched over them. Dean had shivered most of the evening from chills and had tried to stay warm, but to no avail. Castiel had eventually taken pity on the hunter and removed his trench coat and crawled closer to Dean. He woke him up wrapping it around his small frame. He'd also crept closer, lying down next to the man.

_"Cas—"Dean had said, not sure what else to say._

_ "Don't," Castiel had replied and pulled him close. "Dean. Just sleep."_

That had been the most cryptic thing Castiel had said to Dean in his lifetime and the most forward action he had ever made. Dean didn't know what to think, even now as he limped through the dimly lit tunnel towards wherever they were headed. Dean didn't see much of anything behind them, but in front of them there was promise through the darkness.

Dean's rage against Metatron was unwavering; he so badly wanted revenge on the Scribe. He knew Sam and Castiel did as well, but as of now Castiel was acting as though he didn't even know who Metatron was. Dean had been trying to hold conversations with the angel, but they'd led to one word answers and sometimes no answers at all. Castiel's movements had grown increasingly slower too. Dean even feared once that Castiel would stop moving all together and Dean, injured as he was, would have to go on without him. Castiel kept up though, despite moving like a slug. Even now, his eyelids drooped and his shoulders sagged. He looked as though he was working on his last ounce of energy and willpower to move forward.

"We gotta keep moving Cas," Dean said, Castiel turned his head towards the hunter and merely nodded. "C'mon."

He followed Dean to the next clearing, but the hunter stopped in his tracks. It was too silent. There weren't even the sounds of the cold air whistling through the caverns and tunnels surrounding the clearing. The ground underneath them was dirt once again, but nothing surrounded them, but dirt and fog, there was fog beginning to drift into the area. Dean's senses became dulled and the fog was causing his eyes to water a bit. But it was what started to emerge from the fog that worried him the most.

What came out was Hellhounds. There was a small hoard of them, probably about seven to ten, but way more than a sluggish angel and an injured hunter could hold off. Thankfully they were in the Hellhound's domain and the hounds themselves were visible. Dean, however; wished in some twisted way that they weren't. The Hellhounds were rotting away, they were the damned ones. They were the ones killed in combat and the ones that had done the unspeakable before or without their masters telling them to. Their fur was mangy and some parts of it were missing, exposing muscles and bone. One of the hound's ears was missing. Their teeth were dissolving into nothingness. Their eyes were still filled with rage though. They moved in on Dean and Castiel.

"Damn it," Dean unsheathed his knife from his back pocket. "Cas, can you get us out of here?"

"I am afraid I cannot Dean," Castiel replied wearily. "I am with as much power as I was after your rescue from the Forest of Truth."

"Well," Dean looked all around them as the pair stood back to back prepared to fight their best. "It looks as though we're royally screwed."

The Hellhounds snarled; spit dripping from their muzzles, making them look rabid. Dean suspected some of them might have been. Dean slashed at a few with his knife, leaving nicks in their rotting flesh, but his knife did minimal damage. He was only angering them. Castiel stared them down, stabbing one with his angel blade and it howled in agony and fell to the ground, dead.

Dean tried fighting the others off as they advanced, but his leg was making him cry out in unbelievable pain. The water from the Styx had dried up and out of the wood he guessed and his lower leg throbbed and burned. Dean wavered a bit and almost dropped his knife. But upon looking up he saw salvation. A furry figure jumped over top of his and Castiel's heads, but this figure was no Hellhound. It landed in front of them, growling back at the Hellhounds and arching its back so its hackles were straight up. It was an Angelhound.

"_I suggest you leave them alone," _it said. "_Or I'll give you pain worse than Hellfire."_

The Hellhounds snarled and one of them jumped at the Angelhound, he was faster though and pinned the Hellhound onto the ground, tearing open the flesh on its neck and snapping it. Its eyes stayed open, but its skin went cold. The Angelhound's eyes flashed white and it started in for its next kill. A flutter of wings that did not belong to Castiel was heard after. Another angel appeared on the scene, his clothes looking quite worn and his vessel quite old. His dark brown hair was styled in a crew cut that fit well on his head. His eyes were green, but they were a deep green like the moss on the side of a stone in the forest. He was medium sized height and he wore a white robe and sandals. He looked more like a Roman Praetor than the stereotypical angel, but Dean could only theorize how long he'd been down in Hell's deepest depths.

"Be gone foul beasts," the angel yelled and the Hellhounds seemed to obey, they started backing off more after he pulled out his angel blade. "Or I shall have to kill you all and we wouldn't want that would we?"

The Hellhounds dissipated into the fog, even the ones that had been killed for some reason. The other angel and his hound walked over to Dean and Castiel after they'd confirmed the Hellhounds were gone. He greeted Castiel with a warm smile.

"Castiel," He said. "It's been a long while."

"Barakiel," Castiel smiled back, the first positive emotion Dean had seen from the angel in the past two days they'd been in Hell. "That it has."

"You two know each other?" Dean asked, still feeling woozy. The bark burned his skin like acid, but he held his composure.

"Yes," Barakiel replied, looking to Dean. "That is a story for the ages. Now unfortunately is not the time for we do not know when those Hellhounds will be back."

Dean looked about ready to pass out. The Angelhound next to Barakiel took notice. Dean stared into his gentle eyes. He had wolfish features similar to Titan's, but his fur was a bit deeper brown. His eyes, however; were the same fierce yellow as Dean's Angelhound. He had a rather large scar running down one of them, his right eye.

"You remember Zion," Barakiel motioned to the Angelhound. "Do you not?"

"Very well." Castiel nodded, not noticing Dean swaggering. The hunter suddenly felt his body falling to the ground. With a thud he lost consciousness and slowly, as he heard the voices of Castiel and the other companions that had rescued them, he blacked out.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**So? Is Dean ok?**

**And who are Barakiel and Zion? Are they to be trusted?**

**More to come soon!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sam drove tirelessly down the old asphalt road. The yellow line that separated the two lanes of opposing traffic was faded and almost nonexistent and Sam figured that was the way it would stay. He had major doubts that any city workers ever came back to it or even rode on it for that matter. The gravelly shoulder on the road was even more proof of that. The band Toto's _Hold the Line _blasted through the Impala's radio speakers:

"_Hold the line, love isn't always on time!"_

Sam was immune to the music, he couldn't care a less what played.

"Whoa there Sammy," a voice spoke up from the passenger seat that was attached to a golden eyed, blonde haired, body that wasn't there before. "Where's the fire?"

"Up your ass," Sam didn't even flinch; he kept his eyes on the road.

"Well," Gabriel whistled. "I sure hope not. I meant where are you headed without that motley mutt of Dean's?"

"Hunt," Sam's answers were robotic, like he was on autopilot. His expression was a mixture of tired and angry. "Titan can do as he pleases."

"I see," Gabriel kicked up his feet onto the dashboard again, Sam didn't say a word although he knew Dean would have freaked if he'd seen it. "Well then why aren't you hitting the books as per usual? Surely you've been wanting that annoying older brother of yours back by now, although I don't know why."

"I gave up." Sam gritted his teeth and let out a breath of air he'd been holding.

"That doesn't sound like you." Gabriel replied, his joking tone fading.

"Life marches on," Sam replied, finally turning his gaze to the archangel occasionally as he spoke. "Why do you care anyway? Why bother making an entrance anyway, though I'm happy you didn't pick any ungodly songs I refuse to speak about or listen to anymore. This isn't your problem."

"I'll tell you what I told your brother," Gabriel replied, all silliness out of his voice. "I like you. You're valiant Sam. You keep fighting, that seems to be the opposite of what you're doing right now."

"You know," Sam replied. "You're the last person I wanted to see right now."

"I'm probably the one person you should see though." Gabriel said insistently.

"Bite me." Sam snapped spitefully.

"Oh well," Gabriel rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I tried. But remember this Sam; this path you're headed down is as dark as the one you went down with Ruby. You'll end up isolated and alone. That much I can guarantee and I don't give a rat's ass if this truth hurts your feelings. Because it is the truth, so please don't do this Sam. Please just don't."

Sam didn't respond, but his demeanor changed. His shoulders weren't as tight and his breathing became more even. He felt his white hot anger faded a bit and was replaced with this calm. Gabriel looked over at Sam, a determined look on his face.

"I'm a prayer away," Gabriel said. "Use them well."

With that, the archangel flew away, leaving Sam alone in the car once again. Was Gabriel right? Would Sam really lose it again? Would he allow himself to fall into a pit of his own misery? Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't, but there was one thing Sam did know for sure. One question he did know the answer to. He didn't seem to care as much anymore.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Titan felt the tree trunk dig into his spine as he went flying through the air and slammed into it. He snarled, grinning and bearing the initial pain he felt and getting back on all four paws. He'd had the wind knocked out of him, but quickly recovered and went in for another attack. The Hellhound he was fighting had made itself visible and Titan thanked his Father. That would've made the fight twice as difficult. Titan bared his teeth, growled loudly, and sprung at the Hellhound, digging his teeth into its scruff. The Hellhound cried out in pain and bucked up, hurling Titan again. This time Titan crashed into a rock nearby, face first. His muzzle dripped with a trail of blood after the jagged edge of the rock scraped against his face. He got up, a bit of the blood staining his fangs as he advanced again.

_"You're lying," _Titan snarled. "_You've been to Hell recently I can smell it all over your worthless furry pelt!"_

_ "Now why would I have any reason to lie to the likes of you," _Titan could feel the Hellhound's human smirk behind all of the fur. _"Ah yes that's right. I don't like your kind."_

_ "Screw my kind," _Titan circled him, it was a full on stalk off as the Hellhound did the same. "_I want to know if you've seen my master!"_

_ "That's the fatal flaw of you Angelhounds," _The Hellhound barked. "_You're loyal until your last breath."_

Titan growled his loudest and the Hellhound cocked his head.

_"Don't you think it's a bit ridiculous to picking fights with hounds of Hell," _the Hellhound inquired. "_Even if I knew where your master was, which I do not, why would I tell the hound whose biting at my neck and clawing at my back?"_

The Hellhound turned a bit and Titan saw something that was a solid giveaway of what he'd been hoping for. The Hellhound had a scar running down his side, freshly scabbed over and very recently applied to his flesh. Titan's yellow eyes filled with hope and he narrowed his eyes as the Hellhound turned away from him and begun to walk away. Titan leaped and tackled him, pinning him down.

"_Whoa pal," _The Hellhound struggled to get free. "_I don't swing that way!"_

_ "Neither do I, you blundering fool," _Titan inspected the scar. "_I was just admiring you battle scar there, angel blade got yah huh?"_

_ "What of it," _The Hellhound snapped at Titan's neck, but the Angelhound kept a safe distance. "_There are many angels damned in Hell."_

_ "Yes that is true," _Titan replied. "_But each angel has a specific fighting style, down to when they strike their victims and I know Castiel's when I see it."_

_ "So I may have tangled with your master's precious boy toy," _The Hellhound would've been smirking had he been in human form. "_It's not like they're going to make it out of there anyway, even if they could find the door—"_

_ "Door," _Titan cocked his head again. "_What door?"_

_ "You've clearly never been to Hell," _The Hellhound kicked Titan off of him and Titan staggered backward as the hound got up on his paws. "_There is a door in the deepest depths. It can only be seen by those who are righteous enough to pass through it, the souls of the damned who have been wrongly damned."_

_ "So if they find it," _Titan clarified. "_They'll come home unscathed and alive?"_

_ "Alive yes," _The Hellhound made a devious face. "_Unscathed well that's a relative term. Emotional scars from Hell last a lifetime."_

_ "You're a real pick me up," _Titan replied sarcastically. "_You know that?"_

_ "Gee thanks I try," _The Hellhound said. "_They find that, they're home free. Just hope your incredible master isn't ingested by whatever's down there first."_

With that, the Hellhound took off running and disappeared mid-air into a cloud of black smoke. The black smoke dissipated in on itself and Titan was left alone with the answers he wanted, but something felt wrong about it. It was a game of chance, the door the Hellhound had spoken of, but right now it was the only game Dean and Castiel could play and they had to win.

Titan sped off running, the dripping blood drying on the fur of his muzzle.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean woke up to the smell of smoke from a fire and the taste of bile and metallic in his mouth. He smacked his lips a few times as his vision cleared and he realized he was in a cave of some sort. There was darkness to his left and another seemingly endless cavern, but somehow he just knew there was a dirt wall at the end of this one. It had this secure feel to it. To his right was the fire and a woman.

She sat, tending the fire and warming her hands over it. She wore a white half sleeved top that looked handmade, a skirt that was printed with tropical fish on it swimming in the water in vibrant color, more vibrant than anything Dean would've expected to find in Hell, and no shoes. There were seashells braided into her hair and she wore no makeup. She was also a bit heavier set, but not obese. She looked about fifty years old.

"He's awake." she said looking from Dean to the opening of the cave in front of them, barely any light poured through it, but it was to distinguish the outside from where Dean was laying. Dean looked over at the opening of the cave and Castiel, Barakiel and Zion emerged and took a spot around the fire. Dean watched Castiel, as he approached the hunter. His gaze never breaking from Dean, he walked with closed fists and grace despite his earlier stumbling and pain. The light poured behind him and Dean could've sworn he'd seen a halo, but he also felt his head spinning. He grabbed it and closed his eyes.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, a warm and familiar hand that belong to Castiel. Dean looked down at it then up into the angel's blue eyes. He'd crouched down so that he could be level with Dean.

"The poison has worked its way back into your system," Castiel explained. "You are running a fever as the humans say."

Dean felt the back of the angel's cooler hand brush against his hot forehead. He closed his eyes again at the sensation. If he hadn't already been burning from the inside he'd have sworn he felt white hot sparks straight from Castiel's holy essence. The angel backed off, looking over at the woman as if asking for guidance or reassurance.

"I took the poison splint off of his leg," the woman replied, her accent sounded southern, New Orleans. "He should heal very soon with the help of my medicines."

"Thank you Lorelei," Barakiel spoke up, uncrossing his arms and getting off of the dirt wall he'd been leaning on. Zion, his Angelhound companion, trotted over to the edge of the cave near the entrance and circled once before laying down, staying ever vigilant. "Thank you Zion."

"_Anything for you master." _Zion replied, but in a joking manner. Dean suspected that Zion wasn't really Barakiel's Angelhound specifically; more that they'd adopted each other as friends to survive Hell together.

"We should look for food of some sort for the human," Barakiel suggested to Castiel, Castiel stood leaving Dean's side. There was a small part of Dean that wished Castiel had stayed where he was. "We don't need him starving and dying on us."

"Gee thanks." Dean groaned.

"It's Hell," Barakiel shrugged. "What can I say? My humor has depleted a little, become a little darker."

"That's enough," Lorelei said, looking at the two angels. "No need to scare him, he just got here. Go, look for food. Leave him to rest and for God's sake child leave me to my work."

Barakiel exited the cave, motioning for Castiel to follow him. Dean could tell Castiel was hesitant to leave, but he too eventually disappeared into Hell to search for food for Dean.

"Devotion and loyalty," Lorelei commented. "It runs deep in those veins of his and in yours two, why I haven't seen a more perfect pair in years."

"He's a good friend," Dean sighed and shifted where he lay. He was lying on a makeshift mat that was clearly made for sleeping outdoors; a ratty but warm blanket covered his lower half. "I'll tell you it's nice to have someone standing by your side no matter how many times you've royally screwed up."

"Mamihlapinatapai." Lorelei smirked.

"Gesundheit." Dean replied.

"Look it up sometime," she nodded. "It describes your friendship perfectly."

"Will do," Dean had no real intention of doing so, but he figured he humor the woman. "So what exactly are you doing here? Did Hell offer up real estate and you just had to take it?"

"I was a medicine woman in New Orleans," Lorelei sighed, tending to the fire. "I sold my soul to become the best in town. I remembered all the tricks of the trade..."

She waved her hands in front of the fire and figures begun to appear in it, a woman and a devilish looking dog. She moved her hand to the left and the flame shaped hound ate the flame woman.

"But I died for my sins," she finished. "As the others here have done in the past."

She turned her gaze towards Zion; the hound was sleeping peacefully and clearly dreaming about something with the way his legs were twitching.

"I could ask you the same thing Dean Winchester," she looked into the hunter's eyes. "Yes I know your name, you've been here before. Local celebrities really, you and Castiel are. What are you doing here again though?"

"If you must know," Dean groaned as he turned onto his side, laying like he was posing for a model shoot. "Me and Cas were thrown down here by one of his douche relatives."

"Both of you," Lorelei questioned. "Or did someone volunteer once again?"

"So maybe I jumped by my own accord," Dean replied. "What does that matter?"

"Recall what I said about loyalty." She said.

"Good point." Dean bit his bottom lip a bit.

"Your bond is strong," she remarked. "You would go to the ends of the earth for each other I can tell and I tend to think you already have before. Castiel seems as though he is deceiving you in some way, not for evil intentions, but for his own."

"Your guess is as good as mine." Dean scoffed.

"He is missing something," Lorelei commented. "And I fear if he does not retrieve it soon, it may be the destruction of him."

Dean swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat at hearing that.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"You've been awfully quiet brother." Castiel said to Barakiel as the pair searched for food and water for Dean.

"I'm just observing you," Barakiel replied, walking beside Castiel. "You look as though you've seen better days."

"Maybe I have," Castiel sighed. "Heaven is in chaos right now brother, you have missed a great deal. Metatron the Scribe has taken over, thrown us all out, and turned us human. Well me specifically, I have retrieved my grace miraculously, but still."

"Your grace huh," Barakiel stopped, Castiel too. Barakiel stared intently at Castiel as if he were studying him from the outside in. "I see. Let's keep moving, who knows what demons lurk in these parts."

Castiel nodded and the pair continued on.

"Oh and just so you know Castiel," Barakiel spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. "I know a dead man walking when I see one."

Castiel felt an overwhelming sense of fear in the pit of his stomach as he followed Barakiel deeper into the nearby mountains, watching behind him at every turn.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**So what did Gabriel mean in what he said to Sam?**

**And Titan got some answers, but a door? Will they find it?**

**And what exactly did Barakiel mean with what he said to Castiel?**

**More to come soon!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Castiel's ankle throbbed. He wasn't quite used to feeling pain the same way that Dean and Sam being humans did, but he could say for certain that he didn't like it. The treacherous terrain of Hell was certainly not fit for anyone in pain, much less an all powerful angel in pain. Every muscle in Castiel's body pleaded with him to sit down or turn back, but he refused. He couldn't show the pain for Dean and Sam and his current companion Barakiel would surely take notice. He wasn't ready for that secret to come to light yet, nor did he ever want it to. But Dean was smart, one of the many things Castiel had always admired him for, and eventually he would start to ask questions and require answers Castiel knew would be too painful for the hunter to hear. Castiel didn't regret his choice by any means, but now that repercussions of it were becoming more and more evident he begun to question his very sanity in the moment when he'd done what he'd done.

His thoughts were distracting enough to make him slip again and this time Barakiel caught his hand. Castiel's side hit the rocky cliff side and he groaned, his teeth gritting and his arm rocketing over to the source of the pain before Barakiel managed to lift him up and over to where a path was running through the cliff.

"If you do that one more time," Barakiel said in a joking matter. "I may just let you fall. There's no time for distractions in Hell Castiel. I'm surprised at you."

"It's been a few millennia Barakiel," Castiel sighed, his eyes not meeting the older angel's. "A few long millennia..."

"You are worn ragged," Barakiel continued their trek, Castiel following close behind him. "Yet you insist on following me. Why didn't you stay back at the cave with your human friend?"

"He has a name you know." Castiel replied, evading Barakiel's question.

"Forgive me," Barakiel chuckled. "Yes I recall Dean Winchester, torturer of souls down here. Hell of a guy."

"Don't you dare," Castiel cut in front of Barakiel and glared at him. Barakiel took a step back in shock. "Speak of him in such a manner again. Dean Winchester is so much more than that. He has redeemed himself on earth and has proven to everyone, to me, that he is so much better than that. So if you say another bad word on his behalf I will not hesitate to give you a piece of my mind."

"Well," Barakiel stepped around Castiel, giving him a look. "Remind me not to tick you off ever again. Hell hath no fury like Castiel scorned."

Barakiel walked a bit further before stopping abruptly and Castiel ran into the back of him. Castiel rubbed his cheek and gave an annoyed look at the back of Barakiel's head.

"What is it now?" he asked.

"Do you not know where we are," Barakiel looked around them, concerned. "We've stumbled into the deepest part of Aiealayus."

"Aiealayus," Castiel replied. "It sounds familiar."

"It is where the traveling demons spawn and live," Barakiel started to back up. "We'd best get out of here."

"Oh come now sonny," an eerie voice said and it made Castiel's blood run cold. "I've got good prices on food if that's what you came here for?"

A lanky and pale man emerged from the shadows. He wore a nice black tailored suit with black dress shoes. Atop his head was a black top hat adorned with skull beads hung on a rope that went around the top of the hat. His smile could give a small child nightmares and he had one silver tooth that shone brightly even in the dim light. His eyes with as blue as the sky and his hair was short, shaggy, and blonde. Honestly, to Castiel, he looked like Titan's evil demonic twin when the hound was in his human form.

"That is why you're here is it not," the man stepped closer. "To get food and water for that pesky little human?"

"Louis." Castiel's eyes narrowed and he felt this tiny ball of rage in his chest.

"Ah Castiel," Louis smirked and ran his fingers over the rim of his top hat, adjusting it so it lifted up and away from his eyes. "My best customer."

"Customer," Barakiel asked, suddenly shocked. "Castiel what on earth did you do? What does he mean?"

"Oh you didn't hear," Louis, the seller demon, stepped closer and hooked an arm around Castiel's shoulder pulling him close. "Castiel here is a hero. Why what he gave me saved lives, or in his case: one very important life."

"Alright," Castiel pushed away, glaring at the demon. "That is enough."

"Fine," Louis waved his hand at Castiel and chuckled. "Keep your dirty little secret from your friends, but be warned Castiel there will come a time when you can't anymore and he will find out and I'm not talking about your friend here beside you."

Castiel stared, saying nothing, but his eyes were filled with anger but more an emotion he wasn't as familiar with: fear.

"As for that trade," Louis' eyes flashed a brighter blue and he smirked evilly. "I'll find a nice price for that. Aufvierdersehen Castiel. "

With a snap of his fingers, Louis disappeared and left Castiel and Barakiel alone on the pathway. Moments later as Castiel turned around to leave there were three full water bottles and three packaged sandwiches laying in the middle of the dirt. Castiel hesitated to pick them up.

"_Take them to your human," _Louis' voice echoed creepily through Castiel's mind. "_Consider this a favor, for I still own you."_

Castiel swallowed hard, a bitter taste in his mouth at those words and picked up the offerings, storing them in his trench coat's inner pocket and turning to Barakiel.

"Are we going back or not?" Castiel asked and the stunned angel followed him off into the cliffs for the long descent down.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean coughed as the spices from Lorelei's concoction shot up his nose and made his eyes water. He covered his mouth with his hand trying not to cough up his left lung, but the liquid was so damn spicy he couldn't help it.

"You couldn't have picked something any less spicy," Dean asked through a burning throat. "I mean geez lady!"

"Quit your girly whining," Lorelei replied. "This isn't half as bad as my other shit."

"If that stuff was any spicier," Dean chuckled after awhile the taste had started wearing off and his eyes had stopped watering. "You'd have to brew it in a volcano in Hawaii."

"Who says I didn't?" Lorelei let out a bout of loud laughter, so loud in fact it startled Zion out of his slumber and the hound let out a sigh before trotting out of the cave in search of a place to rest. "Anyway Dean it'll help speed up the healing of your leg so that you and that angel of yours can get on your way faster."

"Kicking me out already I see," Dean chuckled, trying not to show any sort of shock from Lorelei calling Castiel "his". Castiel wasn't his; he wasn't anybody's but himself. Dean had to admit that having Castiel around him was like having your favorite baby blanket twenty four seven, but it was a bit more than that as well. It was like having a kindred spirit nearby with unquestioning faith in him. Dean had never had that once in his life. "I'm sure Cas can't wait to get home either."

"I'm surprised you haven't kept him on a shorter leash," Lorelei chuckled and tended to the fire again. Her magic seemed to spread to it, the fires flickered and a wolf chasing a stag around the center of the blaze appeared. "With how he looks."

"Cas," Dean asked. "What do you mean?"

"There's only so many times a man can break until he shatters," Lorelei explained. "Castiel is lacking something vital. He is weak."

"Cas is no man," Dean replied, a bit mad at Lorelei calling him a name. Dean didn't know why though, that he always felt this incessant need to defend Castiel. "Besides Hell would drag anyone under if they let it. Cas wouldn't let it get to him."

Dean yawned. Lorelei's liquid working its magic. He laid back down, his eyes drooping and eventually closing. Zion came back and walked over to Dean, licking the back of his hand and settling down by his side. Lorelei shook her head sadly.

"Oh Dean," Lorelei replied. "I'm afraid it already has..."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"_Your brother did what_?!" Jody Mills exclaimed over the phone to Sam, who was now sitting in a busy diner in the middle of nowhere Illinois. He was headed back to the bunker when he'd decided to stop for food and to give the cop a ring to update her on why he and Dean hadn't checked in until now.

"It's not like I could stop him," Sam sipped his coffee, looking around at the hustle and bustle of the diner as people chatted, laughed, and left like clockwork. "He'd follow Cas to the ends of the earth even if it meant falling into it with him."

_"And you just stood there," _Jody wasn't accusing him, but Sam suddenly felt rage to add on top of his depressed state. He ground his teeth to keep from some sarcastic comment back and took another drink from his coffee cup. "_Sam this is becoming too much of a pattern from what I've heard of you and your brother's escapades to Hell."_

"This time's different," Sam said, keeping his anger to a minimum. "It's like Dean wanted to. I mean sure when I—"

Sam looked around, remembering he was among normal people not in the life and lowered his voice as he spoke into the receiver.

"When I died Dean sold his soul sure," Sam quickly thanked the waitress when she set down his salad. He balanced the phone on his shoulder and squeezed out the ranch dressing, mixing it in with the lettuce. "But this time he dove head first, knowing what was down there. It was like suicide, like he just...like he just didn't even care."

"_Well," _Jody replied after a few moments of silence. "_You know how he is about Cas."_

Sam did. He swallowed some of his salad and tried to chew quietly.

"It's just this time," Sam said. "I don't think he wants to be saved Jody. He looked at me before he and Cas jumped and he gave me this look that said a thousand things, but mostly: "Take care of yourself Sam." Like they were his parting words. I just get this sinking feeling in my gut that they were."

"_Don't read into it too much Sam," _Jody replied. "_Just keep trying; I'm sure there's some way you can get your brother back. Remember, I'm just a call away and my spare room is always open for you."_

"Thanks Jody," Sam cleared his throat. "I owe yah one."

"_You're never in my debt Sam," _he could almost feel Jody's smile on the other end of the call. "_Take care of yourself, I've gotta go to the force. Bye."_

She hung up and Sam finished eating in silence. The waitress came back with the bill and Sam smiled, handing her a nice tip.

"Thank you," she replied. "Oh also I was told by this young woman to give you this."

She handed him a folded up note and walked off with Sam's dirty dishes. Sam suspiciously looked around before unfolding the note and reading it.

**Consider me an ally, not a friend. Although we've met before I think you'd be pretty damn shocked if you saw me. I know a mutual friend of ours and I'm going to help him and you get your brother back. Trust me I know what it's like losing someone. – A Still Unicornless Benefactor**

Sam swallowed the thick spit that had formed in the back of his throat and pocketed the note before rushing out of the diner as fast as he could.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**So? Who gave Sam the note?**

**Will Dean and Cas ever get out?**

**And just what did Cas do?**

**More to come soon!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Titan walked the dirt path like he'd been down it one million times before. His paws kicked up excess dirt clumps in wake as his claws stuck into the road. He'd summoned people before, but brought them back from the dead? He was in a whole new level of necromancy that he barely knew anything about. Still, favors had to be called in and Titan was not one to mess around when it came to his charges. He remembered his father, a decorated Angelhound, who had made choices Titan knew were not in the code of the Angelhounds. He'd been punished, sent to Hell even, by the leader of the Angelhound Council whose name was Bane. Titan respected Bane as every Angelhound did, but this time it was a matter of life and death. Dean, his charge was in Hell, Castiel too. Titan wasn't going to let Sam give up on them no matter how much Sam wanted to. That just wasn't the Angelhound way and Titan knew that quite frankly and typically that wasn't the Winchester way either.

His heart pounded from running to the location that he and his informant had agreed to meet. When he reached it though, his nose burned with the scent of sulfur mixed with Hell itself. Titan gagged and sat down in the middle of the crossroads. Though, this time he hadn't summoned anything.

"You were expecting a crossroads bitch no doubt," a voice behind him said and he turned around, his eyes flashed yellow. "Sorry. You got me instead."

"_I wouldn't want anyone else on the job," _Titan barked and turned towards the source of the voice. "_Did you have any trouble with informing Sam?"_

"He seemed a bit lost by my note," the voice was smooth yet feminine. "But I think he'll catch on as to who I am soon. He'll ask questions, but I can handle anything he throws my way."

"I believe that," Titan shifted to his human form and smirked playfully. "I take it earth is a hell of a lot better than Hell."

"Yes," the woman replied. "I am very happy to be back."

"Have you had any issues locating Dean," Titan asked, getting right down to business. "Or Castiel?"

He noticed her shoulders tense up after the mentioning of the angel. He hadn't heard much of the two's past, but from what he had heard it wasn't as peachy as he'd thought. It seemed kind of out of context, their relationship, with Castiel being an angel and her being a demon. Titan looked at her and he just couldn't see it.

"No," she replied. "They're alive I can tell you that much. I can't locate exactly where they are for I am not in the deeper parts of Hell, but I can guarantee that they are both still breathing."

"Thank you Meg," he replied after swallowing the lump that had formed. There was no way for her to get to them nor was there a way for Titan to, but just knowing that his friends were alive was reassuring enough for the moment. "Really, I owe you one."

"Just keep me on two legs," she replied. "And we can call it even."

"You have my word," Titan nodded. "An Angelhound's word is his blood. He will not give up no matter what the obstacle and he will never break an oath he makes. You're staying alive sweetheart."

Titan's charm had grown on Meg in the past few days that he'd allowed her to walk upon the earth again. The Angelhound had proven to be a source of trust and what Meg could easily call companionship in the past few days. They weren't quite friends yet. They were more like business partners, but even so Meg had to admire Titan's relentless searching for his charge and Castiel.

Castiel. The name brought shivers down Meg's spine. There was some sick and twisted part of her that kind of wanted Dean to stay lost down there in Hell and for Castiel to make it up to the surface, but even the demon knew that wasn't right. She'd had her tiffs with the Winchesters in the past, but she couldn't wish death upon one of them.

"I'll keep you updated," Meg sighed. "If you want accuracy I've got to go back to Hell."

"_Alright_," Titan replied as he shifted into his hound form. "_But one day soon I will get you to talk about what's bothering you. I refuse to have silent business partners, it makes things boring."_

Titan took off running down the road and Meg watched him go. She sighed and kicked a rock nearby onto the grass. That hound didn't know what he was getting himself into with Hell, with her. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her and disappeared into thin air.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

_Dean felt the earth shaking beneath him and it shuddered more with each step he took. He was back at the bunker and seemingly the only one there. The lights were off and dark through the bunker's windows. The curtains were drawn so far that Dean could only through a tiny crack in between of them. He was at the far end of the yard in front of the bunker where the cherry tree was. Dean felt the earth shake again like he was caught in the epicenter of some weird one person earthquake and the cherry tree's highest branch quivered before Dean heard a crack. His head shot up just in time to see the branch breaking from the base of the tree and tumbling downwards towards him. He yelled and jumped out of the way, doing a barrel roll out of the way. Dean's breath caught in his throat when the branch hit the ground with a loud thud and he cowered even though he knew there was no way of it hitting him now. _

_Dean turned his attention to the sky now, it was unnaturally bright for being covered by clouds. All he saw was a silhouette. It was a silhouette of a rather large bird that swooped down and landed on the fallen branch. Dean stared in disbelief. The bird was a hawk with tawny brown feathers that were black on the underside. Its beak was relatively long and pointed where it curved inwards. The feathers on the top of its head were black too. The most magnificent feature it had was its eyes. Its eyes were blue, that was almost unheard of on a hawk, but its eyes were as blue as the sky and surrounded by a strip of yellow. It cocked its head at Dean curiously. _

_"Hey there little guy," Dean grimaced at the pain he was in from doing those acrobatic moves, he wasn't as young as he used to be. "I'm not gonna hurt yah."_

_The hawk seemed to understand him and took off in flight from its perch and landed right in front of Dean. The hawk cooed and cocked its head again as if assessing Dean. It hopped around in front of him for a bit before remaining stationary when he finally moved. The hawk ruffled its feathers and pecked at a few, preening them and then cooed at Dean again._

_"You're certainly a little character aren't yah," Dean chuckled as he pushed up to his feet. "Can you tell me where I am?"_

_Dean felt weird for speaking to an animal, much less an animal in a dream, but it was better than being totally lost and it wasn't like the hawk couldn't understand him. Dean stared at the hawk expecting an answer and the hawk delivered. It pointed its wing to the backyard of the bunker and Dean swallowed hard. That was where he and Castiel had taken the dive into Hell. The hawk was insistent though and Dean felt the need to listen so he started walking that way. The hawk took off again and this time flew around back in a flash. Dean started to run in order to keep up with it. When he finally did though, his jaw dropped._

_The hawk's neck was being held by a rather spiny looking hand and it was flapping its wings wildly and it was clearly scared out of its wits. The man holding it was very pale and wearing a nice black suit with black dress shoes. He had a top hat on his head that was adorned with skull beads and rope going around the bottom of it. He had a cane with a jewel on top of it and he had shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes as well, but his lacked life. He smirked at Dean._

_"You let it go!" Dean exclaimed, fearing for the poor hawk's life._

_"Oh I don't think so." the man snapped his fingers and a black mist surrounded the hawk. The hawk quickly transformed into a human, a familiar trench coat wearing black haired blue eyed human that Dean knew too well. Castiel was bound by his wings and his hands by these metal cuffs with strange markings on them and he looked as though he'd given up all hope._

_"Cas..." Dean gasped, he was confused._

_"You won't believe what he did." The pale man threw his head back in manic laughter and Castiel stared up at Dean with broken eyes. Dean tried to read them; he tried to search for some explanation. Castiel just looked as though he was about to cry and indeed a few tears slipped down his cheeks. Dean's heart broke inside for he'd never once seen the angel cry. _

_"Dean," Castiel rasped out. "Please just know that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for this."_

_"Cas," Dean barely squeaked out. "What? What are you sorry for?"_

_Castiel and the pale man disappeared before Dean's eyes and Dean backed up from the spot where they'd been. He took step after step backwards, afraid and still confused. The soil opened up behind him and he didn't even realize it until it was too late. Dean tumbled backwards and into the crevice. He screamed and fell once again into darkness._

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean shot up from the mat he'd been sleeping on startling Zion out of his slumber as well. Lorelei looked over at his wide eyes and lifted an eyebrow as if asking a silent question of "what happened" and Dean wasn't ready to answer just yet. He turned his attention suddenly to the two angels entering the cave and Dean's stomach dropped to his feet at the sight of Castiel.

Lorelei hadn't been exaggerating when she'd mentioned that Castiel looked bad. He looked like he'd gone a few rounds with a soul sucking leech. He was a bit thinner than Dean remembered and he was as pale as the man in Dean's dream. The man was still engrained in Dean's memory and the fact that Castiel had appeared as a hawk. Dean had questions that he wanted answers to and he knew Castiel had them.

"Eat up," Castiel threw one of the sandwiches at Dean and a water bottle followed after. Dean caught both and as he eagerly un-wrapped the sandwich he stared up at the Castiel's determined face. "We have something we have to discuss."

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**A/N: I leave for New York City in two days so I thought I'd update almost all of my fics in progress since you guys are patiently waiting and I won't have time to update and type over Thanksgiving break. I will update some today and possibly some tomorrow and I decided to start with this one. **

**So what will Castiel discuss with Dean?**

**Will it have something to do with the pale man and Dean's dream or something else entirely?**

**More to come after Thanksgiving break!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Dean felt the strong urge to ask Castiel if he was hiding a beak and feathers underneath his human appearance, but he stowed it. He was having a hard enough time understanding why he was dreaming of the angel in the first place. It wouldn't have been the first time, but it was the certainly the strangest time. Dean's mouth watered at the sight of food and he tore into it immediately. His taste buds appreciated the pastrami and cheese on the sandwich and he sensed a hint of mayonnaise. It was just the way he liked it. Although he also questioned how Castiel had managed to find such delectable human food in a place like this.

"There's a door," Castiel said as Dean chewed his food like a cow only faster, holding his hand under his chin to catch the stray food that fell out.

"That's very informative Cas," Dean swallowed and washed it down with water before looking the angel in the eyes. "And that helps us how exactly?"

"This door," Castiel's eyes shone for a moment as the fire's light caught them. "It leads to the earth. It'll take us home Dean. Don't you want to go home?"

"Yeah," Dean replied. "Of course I do Cas. I hate this damn place! No offense to any of you guys, but I'd like to be back in my nice warm bed with a beer and a porn magazine."

"At least I know your sense of humor never left you even on the brink of death Dean." Castiel sat down on a log next to Lorelei and brought his trench coat forward so that he wouldn't be sitting on it. He managed a small smile at Dean to which the hunter chuckled and returned it.

"You know me," Dean looked him in the eyes. "You can't keep a good dog down."

Zion lifted his head.

"Sorry man I didn't mean you."

He laid his head back down as he lay tucked up to Dean's side. Castiel had seen a lot of Angelhound's in his life, but this one radiated great power and great sacrifice all the same. He had seen a lot and given up so much to end up here. Castiel felt for him. He also knew how he felt. He had done the same thing and no one knew of it but him and that terrible demon Louis.

"Zion and I will guide the three of you to it," Barakiel spoke up. "It will take three days time which is the equivalent of three weeks up on earth. It will be hard, but it's doable. I just need to know that you two are willing to make the journey."

"Are you kidding me," Dean said. "Of course we are right Cas?"

"Yes Dean," Castiel nodded. "But are you well enough to do so? Your leg will not heal overnight and I am powerless to help you."

"Lorelei gave me some wonder drug to help speed it up," Dean explained. "I'll be fine by whatever time we need to leave which honestly should probably be tomorrow."

"He will be well enough by tomorrow to make the trek Castiel," Lorelei said. "This potion will mend his leg long enough until he can reach a human doctor. It will last five days."

"Good," Castiel let out a content sigh. "We leave tomorrow then."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam had to be dreaming. There was no way he wasn't. For now he sat white knuckled on the steering wheel in a ditch next to a road in the Impala and Dean wasn't there to kill him. Sam's blank look was enough to make a sociopath cry in fear. He looked completely drained of any life. As if the note he'd received two days ago from a not dead Meg wasn't enough he'd been haunted by the depths of his own mind ever since Dean had swan dived into Hell with Castiel in tow. The Impala's front right tire was still spinning ever so slowly. The ditch was kind of deep. If Sam saw Kevin one more time he was going to split his skull in half, if he felt Gadreel's imaginary energy shoot up his spine one time he was going to claw at his back until it escaped. If Dean's jump replayed in his mind one more time he was going to throw himself in front of the largest band of traffic he could find and pray to God that it would kill him. Dean had promised. Dean had promised Sam that he wouldn't be alone anymore. Dean was going to stay. Dean was going to be there for the both of them. He had been the missing link in Sam figuring everything out and once again he'd left him like an infant struggling to learn to how to stand on his own. Dean had promised they'd heal each other; they'd try to fix each other this time for real. How were they supposed to do that with him in Hell?

"Well," the new, but familiar voice of Gabriel was heard from the passenger seat. "That's not gonna be good for the suspension."

"Thanks for telling me the obvious," Sam licked his lips and talked in a manner that most would find borderline psychotic. "I was totally planning on crashing my brother's beloved car from the beginning of this drive."

The radio was still on, playing _Summer Breeze _by Seals &amp; Crofts. Their voices were dreamy and airy like Sam's mind right then.

"It would make sense," Gabriel took his feet off the dash. "Since you can't punch him in the face right now it's the next plausible solution."

"Who says I want to punch Dean in the face?" Sam asked in an accusatory manner.

"You didn't have to say it," Gabriel replied. "I heard you loud and clear buddy. You're mad at him."

"Mad isn't the word I'd use to describe it." Sam's rage boiled deep in his stomach.

"Enraged," Gabriel suggested. "Miffed, pissed, outraged, furious, irate oh that's a good one."

"Are you finished?" Sam was annoyed now.

"Geez Samantha," Gabriel gave him a look. "Someone's on the rag. Listen I'll make this short then. You've got to let it go Sam or all of this will eat you alive."

"Let it go," Sam chuckled and then went into an anger that Gabriel hadn't seen in him since Mystery Spot. "Oh I'll let it go alright cuz it's just THAT easy! You try being on the brink of insanity and not being able to stop it! You try it sometime Gabriel and I'm sure you'll love it. You prey on the sanity of others don't you? You know what. Dean can have his little moment of sacrifice cuz that's all it's ever been about. It's always about Cas ever since he met the guy. Don't get me wrong Cas is great, a real fucking all American hero, but you wanna know what I think?"

Gabriel was staring at Sam. He was dumbfounded at how broken his voice was and how tired, how desperately tired he sounded inside.

"I think Cas is a coward," Sam chuckled a little. "I think he's running scared from something and I think he doesn't want precious Dean to know. That's what I think. Dean, poor heroic Dean doesn't think twice, no he jumps in there with a coward. It's like sending two clowns into NASA and expecting them to know what to do. They're both clueless and impulsive and me? I'm left picking up all of the damn pieces that have been scattered everywhere. I'm here trying to bring back my brother and our friend who I don't even know if I want back at this point!"

"Right now you need two things," Gabriel replied. "A hug and a friend."

"Shut up," Sam shook his head. "Just shut the fuck up and stop mocking me."

Sam looked away and Gabriel kept his eyes on the younger Winchester. They were sitting in a car in a ditch and Sam was at the lowest point Gabriel had seen in a long time. He made a noise deep in his throat causing Sam to look at him and the archangel lifted his fingers and snapped them. Before Sam could say a word he was standing in a dingy motel room, but it was a hell of a lot warmer than the cold air outside and inside the Impala.

"The room is paid for already," Gabriel explained. "There's a Vitamin Water on the side table and one of those Caesar salads that you love so dearly in the mini fridge complete with adorable mini fork. There's hot water in this motel and all the HBO your moose brain can handle. You're welcome."

Sam stared down at the shorter angel and then nodded his head once and walked over to the bed. He sat and removed his boots and threw his jacket to one of the nearby chairs. Gabriel ducked out of the way as he did so and watched Sam carefully as he unscrewed the cap on the water and took a long satisfying drink.

"Oh," Gabriel smiled. "Your brother's precious car is dent free and in mint condition once again."

Sam kept his eyes on the archangel as he pulled back the blanket, too tired to change into the pajamas that were in his duffle bag which had also magically appeared in the room as well, and got into bed. The light dimmed as if by magic and Sam tried to close his eyes. But first, he had to ask the question that burned in his mind ever since the archangel had appeared in the crashed car.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why me? Why do you care?"

"I said you needed a friend didn't I? This is me being a friend Sam. Just accept it."

"Some friend you are. You couldn't get all of the channels?"

"Go to sleep Sam."

Sam did and Gabriel stayed up watching over him from the nearby armchair.

"You're not alone Sam," Gabriel whispered, knowing full well Sam couldn't hear him, but he still felt like the words needed to be said. "Just whatever happens and whatever you do after this whether you bring Dean back or not. Just know you're not alone. I'm not going to let that happen."

Sam slept on and for once since Dean had left he felt this sense of fulfillment. There was another body in the room with him. Another soul and Sam found that honestly that was all he'd wanted from the start of this waking nightmare.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The cell was dark and cold and even so Metatron couldn't help but smirk.

"Oh c'mon," he said. "This is a little much don't you think?"

He lifted his wings. They were clamped with metal cuffs with Enochian etched into them. He lowered them.

"Donathan's orders not mine." The guard angel said before turning away from the prisoner.

"Ole Donathan," Metatron chuckled. "He certainly knows how to put on a show doesn't he? Acting like he hates me. Who could hate me?"

"If I recall correctly everyone hates you," The guard spun around giving Metatron a look that could kill. "With good reason too. You successfully revoked the will of Heaven."

"Key word successfully," Metatron gave a playful smile. "Besides it's not like I did it alone. I mean Castiel did help a lot. I don't understand why you all are ragging on me when he's to blame as well?"

"He is not our problem anymore," the guard replied, standing like he was guarding the royal palace in England. "He fell into Hell. He will surely be devoured by anything lurking down there."

"There's a way out you know," Metatron explained. "There is lore of a door that only shows itself to those worthy of redemption. If they are and God willing I'm sure they are it will appear and they have a one way ticket back to earth scot free. Then he becomes your problem again."

"I am afraid you are still mistaken," the guard replied back. "He is not of Heaven's immediate concern right now."

"He will be once I tell you what he did." Metatron smirked.

"What do you mean what he did?" the guard turned back to Metatron and asked him.

"Come closer," Metatron gave a "come hither" sign with his finger. "I do not wish to speak this too loudly for I may cause the girls to faint."

The guard hesitated.

"No tricks I promise," Metatron assured him. "My hands are tied as it is."

The guard leaned in and Metatron whispered what he had to say. The guard's eyes went wide and he shot back and stared at the scribe in disbelief.

"I do believe that is a crime punishable by death," Metatron said. "Am I wrong?"

The guard, still wide eyed, tapped on the shoulder of another and asked him to watch Metatron as he ran off screaming Donathan's name as he went. Metatron chuckled in satisfaction.

"Just you wait Castiel," Metatron said to himself. "I know what you did last summer and trust me it WILL come back to bite you in the ass."

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**What did Cas do? Will that ever be answered?**

**Yes, it will, but not right now.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Something is troubling you," Lorelei said to Castiel over the firelight as the angel watched his human companion sleep. Zion was by Dean's side once again and Barakiel was off somewhere "seeking salvation" as he called it. "I can tell."

"I am fine," Castiel kept his eyes on Dean. "I assure you."

"Is that what you've been telling him," Lorelei asked, trying so hard to pry answers out of Castiel. "Is that why he's sleeping so soundly? I can guarantee you he wouldn't be otherwise."

"Why are you making this your concern?" Castiel asked. He was tired and slightly annoyed with the medicine woman.

"I like to know who I'm sharing my cave with." Lorelei worked the fire so that it made the shape of a cheetah running in place.

"Understandable," Castiel sighed. "If you must know, no he doesn't know what is troubling me and I don't want him to find out because then he'll find a way to stop it."

"You do not wish for it to be stopped?" Lorelei asked. "Because no offense sugar, but you look worse for wear."

"It would reverse what I've done to help him," Castiel explained. "It's my burden to bear and I was well aware of the consequences when I did it. I can handle the shockwaves of the repercussions no matter what is thrown at me. It's him I'm worried about right now."

"An angel giving everything he has for a human," Lorelei smiled. "I do believe this is the first time I've seen this."

"Dean is my friend."

"Are you sure that's all Dean is?"

Castiel hesitated.

"No, I'm not..."

"You care about him," She said. "A lot more than friends normally do."

"We've been through much together." Castiel replied.

"Much more still to come." Lorelei changed the fire again, this time to a majestic stag.

"You assume we're going to make it out of here alive?" Castiel said.

"I don't assume child," Lorelei gave him a look. "I know. I know that you two will make it and I know that you two will survive this awful place God knows I have for long enough, and I know that there is something deeper to this than just friends helping friends."

"Dean is my friend," Castiel repeated, though the words burned him deep inside. "He is all I've had since I came to earth. He's all I've wanted and he's all I hope to be with for a long time from now after we get out of here and fix what we've broken. He's everything to me."

"Then don't tell me, tell him."

"He wouldn't understand."

"How do you know that?"

"Because it's Dean and it's not worth the fall."

"But what if maybe by some miracle it is?"

Castiel stared at her and her him. Her eyes held so much encouragement, but Castiel looked right past that. He didn't need more pain in his heart than the pain that was there already.

"Dean is worth far too much for that."

That was what settled the debate and not another word was spoken until the wee hours of the daytime in Hell when Dean first begun to stir awake, Barakiel returned from his praying, Zion stood and stretched, and Castiel felt as though his body was being split into one million jagged pieces as he met the Righteous man's eyes.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam devoured the pancakes he'd picked out from the complementary breakfast lineup in the motel's lobby. He cut them into smaller pieces with his plastic utensils and ate the syrup covered morsels as if they were his last meal. He hadn't eaten much that week.

"Good to see your moose-like appetite has returned." Gabriel commented from across the table. The archangel had polished off a plate of éclairs and was feeling rather content that he'd satisfied his sweet tooth at that point.

"It never left." Sam said with a full mouth. Gabriel chuckled in response.

"I beg to differ," Gabriel replied shifting so that he was facing Sam and his elbow was off of the table. "I've noticed your consumption has greatly diminished more than your output. Tsk Sammy boy you of all people know that's not healthy."

"Sue me."

Sam took another heaping bite.

"Sure thing law boy."

"You know when it comes to the friend department you're sure lacking a few qualities." Sam replied.

"Like what exactly?" Gabriel asked.

"Compassion for one."

"I just gave you a room with all of your favorite moose things in it," Gabriel explained. "And you dare insult me! I'm done goodbye!"

The archangel huffed and pretended to be hurt and Sam laughed. Gabriel smiled at the man's laughter. It was nice to see him happy again even if only for a moment. Sam had to admit that it was nice having a friend again even if it was the infamous Gabriel the ultimate asshole of Heaven. Once Sam looked past the dickish demeanor of the archangel and the past he'd had with the guy he saw his true colors. He, in turn, was glad to have him there.

"I think I've almost got a solution to getting Dean and Cas back." Sam spoke up.

"Answer me honestly do you shower with those lore books too because you're always at it?" Gabriel asked.

"I'm serious Gabe," Sam absentmindedly said the nickname. "I'm closer than ever before this time."

"I thought you didn't want Dean back."

"I wasn't in my right mind when I said that."

"Sure yah weren't Sammy." The nicknames were returned.

"I'm serious." Sam gave the archangel bitch face number five thousand.

"There's your problem right there." Gabriel smirked.

"Sure I'm mad at Dean and I mean really mad," Sam replied. "But I have to try don't I?"

"Don't ask me kiddo," Gabriel said. "It's like a twenty one gun salute. You can either be the one firing the guns or the one they're firing the guns for. You can bring him back and be happy again or you can lay down your arms. The choice is yours."

"There's that compassion I was talking about."

"Asshole I was trying to be serious. Finish your damn pancakes."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The travelers left in the early morning from Lorelei's cave after bidding goodbye to her for awhile first. She gave Castiel a bag full of spices and herbs and told him if they ever found themselves in Hell again to look her up. Castiel nodded and gave her a smile before joining Barakiel to discuss where they were headed. Dean stood with Lorelei.

"Thanks for everything really," Dean smiled at her. "For fixing my leg too. Even if it's only for a bit."

"You're very welcome Dean." Lorelei bowed her head and smiled.

Castiel and Barakiel begun to walk. Zion barked at Dean to follow.

"Well it looks like that's my cue," Dean sighed. "I'll see you around."

"Hopefully not," Lorelei chuckled, but then grabbed Dean's arm. "Dean, a word?"

"Yeah?" Dean asked confused as to why she'd stopped him.

"Cherish that man," Lorelei motioned to Castiel who was deep in conversation with Barakiel, a small but pained smile on the angel's face. "Cherish him for one day he will be gone."

Dean wanted to tell Lorelei that Castiel was an angel and thus he never died, but instead he smiled and nodded acknowledging he understood. Afterwards he bid Lorelei goodbye for the final time and followed Castiel and their companions and guides towards the unknown.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"This doesn't look familiar at all." Barakiel commented.

"Great," Dean stuck close to Castiel in case he needed support if his leg crapped out on him. "You're saying we're lost?"

"No I'm not," Barakiel defended. "I'm just saying I don't think we should've come this way."

"Will something come out and eat us?" Dean asked with a bit more concern and annoyance in his voice.

"Nobody likes a worry wart," Barakiel replied, looking around them. The fur on Zion's back stood up on end a little. Dean could tell the angel was using humor as a shield against what he was really thinking. "Have a little faith that I didn't get you into some horrific situation."

"I'll believe that when I'm out of here alive and watching Dr. Sexy reruns on the couch." Dean said in response and rolled his eyes. He too suddenly felt uneasy.

Suddenly the aura and the air changed. Both felt very cold and Dean actually shivered. He felt the cold air seep into his very bones and around him there were shapes. They were the shapes of humans. They were dead humans, their souls to be exact. They walked to the right of Dean and his companions and they all stared ahead as though they were seeking something. They walked fluidly, but not zombie-like slow by any means. They were spirits after all. Dean felt the strong urge to run a bullet through them and see if they'd disappear like regular ghosts, but now was not the time for that. The ghosts themselves made this sort of echo that was similar to a ringing in one's ears and it was dim not loud at all. Dean stared in disbelief at the sheer number of them that had appeared in mere seconds.

"I told you," Barakiel's tone had turned somber and he spoke in more of a hushed whisper. "These are the Silent Ones, but take no heed to their name for their minds scream louder than they ever could."

"What are they?" Dean asked although half of him already knew.

"The souls of the damned," Barakiel explained, side stepping away from one who passed in between them leaving a cold mist in his wake. "They wander through here until they reach wherever it is they go then start again. Most of them will pass by you with no harm, but some won't. Lest you share a similar suffering as they do they'll pass right through you transferring their memories to your mind. It can be extremely painful."

"Great," Dean scoffed. "I didn't come this far to be mind violated."

"Just keep moving," Barakiel ordered. "And hope to God that one of them doesn't like you."

Dean nodded, watching as the angel pushed his way through the hordes of souls and continued west in the direction of their destination. Dean waited a moment meeting the eyes of an elderly woman spirit and then she looked away and continued her march. Dean shivered again and followed Barakiel. Castiel followed close by Dean to his right a bit. The angel looked tired as the place they were and Dean couldn't help but keep eyes on him. Castiel wasn't himself that was all there was to it. Dean didn't know what had happened to the angel, much less why he'd had a dream regarding him being choked by what Dean assumed to be some sort of demon. All Dean knew was that Castiel was silently suffering and he was powerless to help his friend until Castiel clued him in. Dean knew he wouldn't though, Castiel had too much pride.

Castiel dragged his feet as he passed by all of the Silent Ones. They all seemed to have their eyes on him and he felt like he was in a test tube being studied. It was as if they were subconsciously saying:

_You'll be one of us soon enough._

Castiel forced his feet to continue on until he met a face he'd only heard about.

There was an angel headed straight for him. His eyes were practically slits like he was glaring and he looked old and worn ragged as though he'd seen a lot and fought a lot of battles. Castiel knew he had. There was only one angel before Barakiel that had been banished here and here he was coming towards Castiel.

The angel's name was Raziel.

"Raziel," Castiel said breathlessly, catching Dean's attention too and Dean watched as the Silent One engulfed Castiel in his mist and Castiel let out a blood curdling scream. The angel saw nothing but white at first, but then the images came forth and flashed in his mind.

A girl, young, probably about twenty one and she had blonde hair and blue eyes like his vessel.

The angel Raziel was fighting a horde of demons that were attacking her.

The last demon left, but not before slitting the throat of the woman, Raziel called out in grief and ran over to her. He inspected her pulse and for the first time since he'd been around humans Castiel saw an angel shed human tears.

Raziel carried the girl to an empty home and laid her down on the bed. He cried until his tears could no longer fall and then stood. He faced the door of the home and walked out of it before coming to a crossroads. Raziel dug until his vessel's fingernails were bloody and raw and he waited. A demon, the demon, the one in the top hat came. He smirked like he had when Castiel had gone to him. He stuck out his hand and Raziel grimaced and shook it. The demon cackled and a blinding light was seen and Raziel stumbled. The demon held a vial in his hand with a blue-white substance in it and he pocketed it.

Raziel ran to her. He ran up to her room and she was awake. She looked confused, but relieved at the same time. Her face lit up when she saw he was above her, supporting the back of her neck and looking down at her. The only thing he did after that was kiss her.

The vision changed to what looked like years later and Castiel saw the woman and Raziel in the same house once again. The woman was crying her eyes out. Raziel stood before her. She looked exasperated and she held onto Raziel's wrist like it was her last anchor. She practically wept and Raziel only said a few simple words in response.

"_Who are you?"_

Castiel felt Raziel leave his body and the angel collapsed, bracing his impact with his hands and his knees took most of the impact. The Silent One took a look back at Castiel and he could feel Raziel's eyes on the back of his neck as the Silent One lumbered on and away from him. He hung his head and breathed in raggedly. Not only had the memory sharing been painful as ever, but the reminder of what Castiel had done stung worse. He looked up to see Dean at his side.

"Damn it Cas," Dean sighed, but ultimately he was relieved the angel was alright. "Are you good?"

"Yes Dean," Castiel nodded, relieved to see the hunter wasn't lacking the ability to run need be. "I am fine I assure you."

"You say that one more time and I'm going to kick your ass," Dean warned. Castiel missed it when Dean showed nothing but utter concern for him like he was doing now. "Now c'mon Barakiel's waiting for us past this mass of souls."

Dean helped Castiel up and the angel brushed the dirt off of his dress pants. Dean gave him a small smile and continued forward. Castiel turned around to meet the backside of the angel Raziel as he finally turned away and disappeared from Castiel's view. The angel's stomach dropped to his feet as he followed Dean away from the Silent Ones to where Barakiel and Zion stood waiting.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**I gave you a hint as to what Castiel did. I hope you caught on? The thing is will Dean?**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"_Jody hey it's Sam. Listen I know it's been a little while and I'm sorry for not calling you back. I've just been bad. It's been bad...anyway I-I'm doing better now. Much better, in fact I've got a friend here with me as I leave this message. I know I'm gonna get some mom voice lecture about how to use a phone, but please hear me out. I have a theory and I need you to help me with it. Hope you and Alex are fine. Bye."_

Jody Mills was fuming at the message. Sam hadn't bothered to pick up a phone in a few weeks now and suddenly he calls her out of the blue. She didn't even know what had happened to Dean since he'd left. Sam had rushed out of her house panicked and without a look back when he'd received that phone call from Dean who'd apparently given him a signal for having a gun to his head. Jody stood over the answering machine in her cabin's kitchen and gripped the counter like it was worth her life. She was pretty sure she was going to go all Incredible Hulk and break the granite in half. She managed to let go before spinning around and punching his number into her cell phone and dialing.

"_Jody..." _Sam answered on the first ring.

"You've got some nerve Sam Winchester," Jody lectured him. "You leave my house to attend to your potentially dying brother who I hope is fine by the way and you don't call me for weeks on end to even tell me if the both of you are alive!"

"_Technically if he were dead that'd be highly improbably Ms. Mills."_

"Who the Hell is that?" Jody asked.

"_His names Gabriel,"_ Sam explained. "_He's an archangel and he's going to help me get Dean back._"

"You mean to tell me you've got one of the seven archangels riding shotgun," Sam couldn't see Jody's face, but he suspected it was something along the lines of 'wtf'. "And what do you mean get Dean back?"

Sam swallowed hard for he knew Jody was waiting for some sort of answer. Sam let out a long breath before going into an in depth explanation of what had happened and where Castiel and Dean were now and how he Gabriel were trying to get him back.

"So let me get this straight," Jody pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "You were tricked by the douche angel Metatron. He's the one who called you not Dean and when you got there he was reading what was happening to Castiel and Dean from a piece of paper and he banished the both of them to Hell. So you, Dean's Angelhound named Titan, and the archangel Gabriel, potentially along with a demon named Meg's help are trying to find a way to bring Dean back and you'd like a place to stay which I'm assuming would be here?"

"_You hit the nail on the head Jody_," Sam replied. "_Sorry for such short notice_."

"I work until five tonight," Jody said. "You know where the key is and there's meatloaf in the fridge. If you bring the dog leave him out of Alex's bedroom she likes it clean. Mine too. Oh and Sam?"

"_Yeah Jody_?" Sam asked.

"Bring an extra large bottle of whiskey with you," Jody sighed again. "I'm going to need it."

She hung up and walked off to get dressed for her shift at the police station.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean could smell the rotting scent of the souls even long after they passed The Silent Ones. The funk was all over Castiel and it permeated through Dean's nostrils. The hunter gagged. It smelled of rotting flesh and anguish. Dean hadn't even been aware that anguish had a scent. Apparently it did and right now Castiel reeked of it. Dean had forced to hold the angel upright since his encounter with a Silent One. Castiel had collapsed to his knees after the soul had passed right through him. The angel had immediately gone even paler than before and he'd stumbled as he stood. Dean had let him lean on him up until now when Barakiel had ordered the two of them to stop and rest. Dean couldn't have agreed more with that statement. The hunter secretly hoped that there was enough water left in the water bottles Castiel had found to quench his growing thirst.

He heard the sound of water lapping on a shore and he turned his head immediately. Every fiber in his being warned him not to, but his feet begun to walk that way. Until a hand stopped him.

"I know what you're thinking," Barakiel said. "But that is the River Styx. It will harm you beyond belief and wrack your insides if you drink from it."

"Wasn't planning on it." Dean lied.

"Approximately how far are we from the door lest it choose to appear Barakiel?" Castiel interrupted.

"Two more days tops by foot," Barakiel said. "But I suppose we could—"

"Keep walking," Dean interjected. Personally he was sick of stopping. He wanted to get home so badly he'd walk until his feet bled. "We keep walking. Surely there's way around the Styx isn't there?"

"That would put us out an extra three days." Barakiel replied.

"We'll do what we have to," Dean argued. "I didn't come this far to make an overnight pit stop."

Dean walked closer to the water, Zion right behind him. Castiel limped over towards the shoreline and Barakiel stood close by his angelic companion. Dean stared down into the inky black water and saw his own reflection. The bags under his eyes looked twice as dark in the small waves near the sandy shore. Dean turned around.

"This doesn't look as bad as they make it out to be?"

Suddenly, Dean felt something grab his ankle. It was cold, wet, and he felt pure misery shoot through him. Dean looked down and saw that three pairs of ghostly hands had him by the legs. Dean's eyes went wide and he was suddenly underwater.

"Dean!" Castiel yelled and Zion started barking and running along the shore. Barakiel ran over too and searched the waters nearby for a sign of life, but unfortunately he could not see Dean. Dean on the other hand had a ghostly palm over his mouth and was being dragged downwards. He could hear nothing, but shrieks all around him and moans and groans of agony. He struggled against the spirits, but they held on tight and swam Dean down further into the dark depths. Once Dean reached a certain level he started to feel lightheaded. He saw things, his life, flashing before his eyes in fragments. He saw Bobby and Jody and Kevin and Titan and Sam and Castiel. God, he wanted to go home, but the water suddenly felt so warm and he could feel it taking over him like a hug from the sun. His vision blurred and his body no longer shook he was just sort of...drifting.

He only saw a darkness pass over him and then a figure moving. Dean's eyes closed and his body was jerked ever so slightly before the warmth faded away and new light returned.

Dean sputtered and coughed up water as his eyes flew open and he bolted up from his back to a sitting position. Dean clawed at his chest and felt it up before jumping over to the edge of the boat and coughing up black sludge water from his lungs. He dry heaved for a few moments before leaning back into the solid object he found he was in. He felt underneath him and felt solid wood as well as up against his back. Dean was in a boat. He looked over near the other end of it and saw all three of his traveling companions seated and staring over at him. Dean felt eyes on his back suddenly and he turned around and looked to his left to see a fifth figure.

The boy couldn't have been more than nineteen years old and he wore a less than angelic smirk on his face. He had jet black shaggy hair and deep brown eyes, but with red around the edges. He was paler than Castiel and thin as ever and he wore a maroon beanie on top of his head. He had on a black tank top with a giant white skull in the center of it and dark blue skinny jeans. On his feet were shiny black Dr. Martins. He had a steering stick in his right hand and his left rested on his hip.

"Nicely done asshole," his voice had sarcasm bleeding through it. "Not every day someone takes a dive in my river."

"What?" Dean was still piecing together what had happened. He was supposed to be dead? Wasn't he?

"Welcome to the one way express down the River Styx happy to be of assistance," the boy said. "Got any Drachmas?"

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam unlocked the door to the cabin and flipped on the light switch. The cabin was cold and seemingly empty. There was only one light on that he could see and that was a small lamp in the kitchen. Sam smiled, happy to finally be in a clean place for once instead of another seedy motel for another night. Gabriel whistled upon entering.

"Nice digs."

"Don't mess anything up," Sam warned, pointing a finger at the archangel and giving him a look. "Jody will not be afraid to fry your ass in Holy oil."

"Alright," Gabriel threw up his hands in defense. "I wasn't planning on it anyway. She's not my type."

"Your type?" Sam questioned.

"She's not a dick," Gabriel smirked. "Nor does she have one. Not that I don't enjoy the occasional woman."

"Too much information." Sam muttered.

"Why do you think I'm sticking with you Sam-bo?" Gabriel put emphasis on the B and Sam continued to make his way over to the kitchen. He had a plastic bag of groceries in his left hand and a bottle of whiskey under his right arm. He looked over at the counter and saw a note.

"You know you're not keeping the points you've earned in the friendship department Gabe," Sam replied, not looking at the archangel and putting the food they'd bought away. "Insulting me takes away at least three."

"What about an astute observation?" Gabriel asked, walking over to help. "I never said you were a dick, but you do have one. Unless you're hiding something Samantha?"

"Shut up." Sam chuckled, but froze immediately at the sound of gun cocking.

He and Gabriel both spun around to see Alex holding a large rifle and then rolling her eyes.

"I almost killed you!" she announced.

"Yeah gold star for you genius," Gabriel lowered his hands slowly. "We know."

"Alex," Sam said. "Your mom told us to come. Is she not here yet?"

"She got held up at work," Alex explained. "She told me to make dinner for you guys. Heated up meatloaf it is. Hope you guys don't mind?"

"Not at all." Sam smiled and shed his coat. Gabriel followed suit.

"Hey is that whiskey?"Alex asked, intrigued as she reached for the bottle.

"No flipping way young lady," Jody's voice echoed from the front door as she made her way inside. "That is mama's juice for tonight."

"Good to see you Jody." Sam smiled and hugged her. She shook hands with Gabriel and hung up her jacket too.

"You too Sam," Jody replied. "Now let's get dinner started and maybe you can tell me about this Dean and Cas problem of yours?"

**Reviews are appreciated :)**

**So? Who is this new character that Dean's on a boat ride with? (Hint: If you've read my other story Sunday Bloody Sunday you'll recognize him immediately.)**

**Will they ever get home? And what is Sam's grand plan?**

**More to come soon!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Dean looked over at Castiel and the others again and noticed that Castiel was looking rather clammy and leaning over the edge of the boat. Dean assumed angels didn't get many chances to be on the water so Castiel must've been seasick. In response to his thoughts Castiel puked over the side of the boat and into the water.

"Thank you for leaning over honestly," the boy said as he hand Dean the steering stick and jumped over to a secret hatch and opened it. He pulled out Gatorade and Saltine crackers and tossed them over to Barakiel who handed them to Castiel. "Dad hates it when there's vomit in the boat."

"What are you?" Dean asked, handing him back the steering stick and he pushed once on either side. "Are you a demon?"

"Not even close." The boy's eyes went blood red and then changed back to normal. "I am a much better monster than those buffoons."

Dean's shoulders tensed at the word monster.

"The name's Ron Ryder," the boy held out his hand and Dean shook it. "As in "Ryder all night long" and welcome to the only passage in and out of Hell."

"So wait," Dean was trying to piece it all together still. He head was still swimming with the fishes or rather the souls. "That means your father is—"

"Charon," Ron nodded and pushed the boat further along downstream. "The deliverer of the dead into Hell and to Hades, yes unfortunately he's my old man."

"Guess you don't spend much time on earth then," Dean commented. "Probably explains why I haven't heard of you before."

"I tend to stick to where I'm needed," Ron replied and snuck another glance at Castiel. "Hey man eat the crackers. They'll help I promise."

Castiel nodded and took small bites of the salty morsels and Dean felt sorry for the angel. Castiel looked over at the hunter and after a few small burps and uncomfortable groans he rested his head against the back of the boat and managed a small smile towards Dean.

"How are you Dean?" Castiel asked.

"Better than you I think," Dean chuckled. "Seasick much Cas?"

"My vessel had a tendency towards it," Castiel explained. "Angels are immune towards mostly everything, but unfortunately Jimmy passed along this ailment."

"That sucks man," Dean cleared his throat. The water had practically burned it. "Yeah I'm doing fine. I wasn't expecting that."

"The souls tend to get a bit handsy," Ron said. "They like to drag people in. Personally I think it's cuz they're lonely, but what do I know? They could just be speeding along the process of bringing the victims in."

"That's comforting to know that I was going to be their next victim." Dean leaned back against the boat, copying Castiel as he felt how truly tired he was. "I wouldn't have tasted very good anyway."

Dean heard a small chuckle and found that it was coming from Castiel. Seeing the angel smile and laugh felt like a flower blossoming in Dean's chest. He was glad when the angel was happy. When his angel was happy. Dean shook his head and made an intrigued face. What had possessed him to call Castiel his angel he didn't know. Dean stopped smiling when Castiel started coughing. It was a harsh and croupy cough that made Dean jump slightly when it came out of the angel's mouth. Castiel looked at his hand after that and found a film of mucous was on his palm and he let out a wheezy sigh.

"Hey Cas," Dean could sense his friend's distress. He'd noticed Castiel hadn't been feeling well since they'd arrived in Hell and even before. "Why don't you take five huh? I'm ok now. I promise."

"I am an angel Dean," Castiel protested, but his eyes were saying otherwise. "I do not require sleep."

"You sure look like you want it though," Dean chuckled. "Go on Cas. It's ok. You can."

The permission from Dean caused the chain reaction of Castiel's eyes shutting and his body slumping against the boat and the angel fell asleep. Dean watched his features soften and he seemed at peace. Dean smiled at the sight and he felt a little bit better himself. His body still ached too though and sleep threatened itself behind his eyes.

"Follow your own advice," Ron said to Dean. "Get some sleep too. It'll be awhile before I get you where you need to go or even near it anyway. I'll keep her nice and gentle for you guys."

"Thanks," Dean said, his voice slowly drifting away. His eyelids drooped and he too slumped against the edge of the boat and sleep quickly found him through a soothing rhythm of water lapping against the boat.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

After two rounds of impressive refrigerated meatloaf and many compliments from Gabriel which Sam was honestly surprised about, Sam, Jody, Alex, and Gabriel all poured over many books that Jody had gathered from Bobby's secret library. After Bobby's house had burned down he'd rescued numerous books from his house and stored them at a cabin in the North Dakota woods. Apparently he'd told Jody that she'd need them more than him when he died so he'd given her a key and she'd gone up there one weekend that the force gave her off and collected all of them. She'd kept them here and until now she'd actually forgotten about them.

"Found anything Jody?" Sam asked.

"Patience," Jody said in her best mom voice. "I'm still looking. There's not many a spell for opening up Hell you know?"

"Sorry," Sam sighed. "I'm just—"

"Eager to get your brother and your friend back," Jody placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "I know Sam. Again, I'm sorry this happened."

"It's ok."

Sam smiled at her and Jody smiled back, but then gave him a look before slapping him across the cheek. Alex laughed and covered her smile. Gabriel winced and scrunched up one eye, leaning away. Jody stared at Sam and Sam rubbed his red cheek in shock.

"That is for forgetting how to use a damn phone," Jody scolded him. "As Bobby would say "yah idjit"."

"You just got owned." Alex giggled.

"Yeah I know," Sam replied to the teenager then looked back over at Jody. "Heard yah loud and clear Officer."

"Good," Jody said. "Now as for any spells. I see nothing in these books about getting anyone back from Hell through a spell, but I did find something interesting."

Before Sam could look over and see what Jody was talking about the door swung open and two figures stepped through. One of which was on all fours and the other on two human legs. Jody jumped up at first, but Sam held her back as both Titan and Meg entered the cabin.

"It's a Hell of a trek out here," Meg commented as she closed the door behind them and Titan shook off the rain that had covered his fur. The others hadn't even noticed the storm outside. "You certainly don't want anyone finding you—"

She was stuck in one spot in the center of Jody's entryway rug.

"Very funny," Meg crossed her arms and sighed. "And you don't guard against the mutt here?"

"_I happen to be purebred Heaven," _Titan said and Jody and Alex jumped, shocked they could understand him. "_So shut your mouth."_

"Bite me dog boy," Meg looked over at him. "Seriously though can one of you come over here and cut this? I really don't feel like standing here all night."

Jody hesitated, but then slowly walked over to the rug, lifting it up to reveal a large red spray painted devils trap. Meg rolled her eyes when Jody finally cut through the line and the demon stepped up beside Titan. Jody walked back over towards the kitchen.

"Ok well this is the first time I've had a demon in my house," Jody was a bit nervous, she had weapons hidden everywhere if need be. "Want something to drink?"

"I don't require it," Meg replied. "But if you've got any whiskey..."

"Brand new actually," Jody opened up the bottle and poured it into a glass. "Here yah go."

Meg took a sip as Jody set down a bowl of water for Titan and the Angelhound lapped happily at it leaving a puddle of water and drool on the wood floor. Meg grimaced a little, she'd never quite liked Hellhounds when she'd spent her time training in Hell and even now they got on her every last nerve. Titan amazingly was getting on them even less.

"You brother's still alive," Meg explained to Sam and the hunter's back loosened along with his grip on the edge of Gabriel's leg which he hadn't even realized he'd been doing. He jerked it away immediately earning a look from the archangel. "Although I have to admit the stupid bastard took two close calls, but Clarence saves the day and he's still breathing. They're far from where they started which is good, but I'm unsure as to where they're truly headed. I don't know much about that part of Hell. I only know what I'm told."

"Thanks anyway Meg," Sam nodded. "I mean that."

"Blame this one," she pointed to Titan who was now sitting and licking his snout, trying to rid it from slime. "He got me back in the game and enlisted me for this manhunt."

"_And aren't you glad I did?" _Titan scratched at his neck and his dog tags jingled on his collar. _"What would you be doing otherwise?"_

"Ok before anyone says another word," Jody still looked shocked. "Can someone please explain to me how that dog is talking?"

"_I am an Angelhound," _Titan faced Jody and his eyes flashed white before returning to their normal yellow wolf-like slits. "_We are the angelic equivalent of Hellhounds, but instead we serve Heavens and the angels of Heaven. We aid them in battle and tend to their every need for as long as they own us."_

"Then how are you getting away with working with a demon?"

"_Simple," _Titan explained. "_My previous owner Balthazar gave me up and now Dean owns me."_

"Cool," Alex exclaimed. "I want one!"

"No dogs," Jody said. "I don't have time."

Titan whined at the word dog and Meg chuckled at him.

"I hope you don't mind if we crash here," Meg asked. "It's been a long journey and quite frankly I'm tired as Home."

"The couch is open," Jody said. "Sorry I don't have much better."

"Couch is fine," Meg replied, walking over to it and sitting down. "It's comfy and I'm used to less."

"Can the dog sleep on my bed?" Alex pleaded. "Please mom!"

Jody sighed then finally gave in and nodded.

"Yes," Alex walked over to Titan and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're like a giant teddy bear."

Titan whined again when she squeezed tighter and Gabriel and Sam tried to hold back their snickers. Jody finally broke into a smile and so did Meg from her spot on the couch where she had proceeded to lie down. She was on the edge of sleep and when it finally took her she was glad to fall asleep to laughter in the room for once.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean had almost forgotten he was in Hell, much less on a boat when he awoke. When he blinked away the tiredness he saw that everyone, but him was asleep. Castiel was still in the same positing. Barakiel had lain down and Zion was curled up in a ball on the boat's floor. He looked out at the water and his surroundings, they'd certainly changed. The air felt a bit colder and Dean looked over at Ron who was still steering through black waters.

"How can you stand it," Dean asked. "The cold I mean?"

"It doesn't bother me," Ron answered. "You kind of get used to it when you're a resident of Hell."

"I see," Dean nodded. "I take it you've lived here your whole life?"

"I was born on earth," Ron explained. "But that didn't last long. My mom was killed and my dad wasn't who I thought he was all of those years. He took me here and now I'm basically a slave to the family business. Hence why I'm pushing this hunk of junk."

"Oh trust me," Dean said. "I know all about the family business."

"There's something about you," Ron cocked his head a little. "Something that seems familiar. You don't happen to have a cousin named Rolando? No...that's not it. What's your name pal?"

"Dean Winchester." Dean replied.

"Winchester," Ron snapped his fingers in recognition. "I knew it. I pushed your daddy across these waters many years ago. He said it was either you or him when he sat down on that very seat right there. Then he said he was glad it was him after he felt his hair being pulled at by the souls."

"Did he make it ok?" Dean asked, a lump forming in his throat. He'd hoped his dad would somehow get out of his deal and they'd see him again so many years ago, but now so much time had passed that he hated to say it but he'd kind of forgotten about his old man.

"He was a trooper," Ron winked and smiled. "I can't speak for after the boat ride. I only deliver the souls for judgment. Although unfortunately most of the ones that end up here stay here. There are a few exceptions and a few break outs."

"I take it you hate breaking people out," Dean looked up at the teenage boat pusher. "I'm sure it goes against your dad's wishes."

"Screw my dad and what he thinks," Ron exclaimed, but not loud enough to wake up his other passengers. Dean looked a bit shocked at the response he'd received. "Sorry, but personally I hate my dad's guts. He's predetermined my future for me. Some big battle for power down here against Hades the current ruler of Hell and his pretty boy oldest son Alec. You know the simple things."

"That sounds fun." Dean made a noise of disapproval.

"Totally worth the eternal lifetime," Ron replied. "The benefits are ok I do a hell of a lot better than most of the demonic strippers down here. Still, kinda a drag having your whole eternal destiny planned out for you and I was gonna go see Disney World too! I've heard its Hell on earth from several people. I'll be right at home!"

Ron and Dean both laughed. The laughter eventually died and Ron pulled out some provisions from the secret hatch and tossed a sandwich at Dean.

"You're the only human here," Ron took a bite of his. "You need to eat. Me? I just enjoy it. I once survived off of twelve pomegranate seeds and a jug of orange juice."

"Impressive," Dean ate too; silence came over the boat for a few moments until Dean spoke. "Must take a lot out of yah. Seeing all these dead people every day."

"It's graining yeah," Ron explained. "But the kids are the worst. Kids shouldn't go to Hell. It's just not right, but yet some do for things they don't even know they did or people did because of them. Even teenagers get me man. I mean I get it they can do bad things too, but damn they've still got their whole lives ahead of them. Man I still remember this one kid Kevin..."

"Kevin?" Dean was suddenly interested.

"Yeah some kid from Neighbor Michigan," Ron explained. "He was practically deathly pale even for a ghost. It wasn't that long ago actually. I was down at the pickup dock being a trophy son to a less than trophy father and doing his job once again so he could brood and plan in his office. Anyway I like to make conversation with my passengers yah know make them more at ease when they go across to the other side? So here comes this lanky Asian kid who took one look at me and I can only imagine what he saw. He was Heavenly that's all I know; I could sense it and it almost drove me wild."

"Kevin Tran," Dean put the missing pieces together for Ron. "Prophet of the Lord. Killed by Gadreel the angel, smited from the inside out and burned."

"Ouch," Ron sympathized. "Anyway yeah he sat near me and I made my usual announcement of keeping hands and feet in the boat and enjoying the ride. He stared at me, probably terrified of my eyes."

"Your eyes?" Dean was confused; he saw nothing wrong with Ron's eyes.

"Heavenly beings can see my true eyes," Ron said, turning to Dean and he had red eyes again, but this time flames danced in them and his pupils looked slightly like skulls before he changed them back to normal and Dean breathed again. "And those I choose to see them. Anyway so Kevin was totally freaked, but he couldn't stop staring all the same. Honestly I was flattered. All respect to the dead, but the dude was attractive as Hell and he had a nice little ass too. That's beside the point. I hit up conversation with him and he couldn't understand why he was in Hell and he didn't even know he was dead at first. I had to break it to him. He looked so scared. He didn't want to go to Hell and I saw that he shouldn't. I don't know why I did what I did next, but I don't regret it."

"When we reached the shore I let everyone else off first, but before he could leave I tossed him back on the boat. He seemed terrified at first, but then he seemed to calm down after a few mantras of "don't kill me". I explained that I was taking him back. He didn't deserve Hell and I was determined that he wasn't going to go there. I covered him with a blanket out of sight and rowed backward to a secret exit that only Charon's and Hades' kids know about that lead back to earth and I let him go. He was confused and grateful all the same. He passed through the exit and I never saw him again. Never stopped thinking about that kid either."

Dean watched Ron as he stared forward at nothing in particular, but he was deep in thought. Dean could tell Kevin had affected the son of Charon in a powerful way and he couldn't help but notice the undertones of a slight crush on Ron's part.

"Well Winchester," Ron looked around as they entered what appeared to be a long cavern cutting through solid rock. He stood and took control of the steering stick again. Castiel and the others noticed the change in light too and they all blinked their eyes and awoke. "Are you ready for the last leg of your journey?"

**Reviews welcome!**

**Yes, for those of you who guessed it was Ron. You know I had to include him? He's my favorite OC besides Titan ;) I missed working on my series so I had to throw him in here, besides Dean's stuck in Hell and it was only a matter of time before he had to take the boat to get anywhere. It just fit. **

**More to come soon!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Castiel's dream was less than peaceful. As if having a spirit pass right through him wasn't bad enough, Castiel felt like he'd been dropped into a blender and shaken up like a soft drink all the same. The insides of his mind were a whirlwind and when he finally landed he was the one place he'd never expected to ever see again. He could easily pretend that he felt alright, but when he found out where he was his stomach dropped to his feet. Heaven looked beautiful as anything, the temperature perfect and everything was seemingly in order. But the aura of chaos and bristling anger was present. Castiel looked around, confused he began walking towards the Big House.

It took the angel a few minutes to realize that he was not in Heaven in its present day state. This was Heaven in the past. More specifically Heaven before Castiel existed. Castiel took the steps two by two and soon he found he was bounding up them. He was eager to know why he had been transported to the past in his dreams. He heard voices in the far corridor of the building and made his way over towards the commotion. As he approached; however, it died out. He heard no yelling or exclaiming of anything. Instead it was replaced with silence for few moments before he heard the all too familiar voice of his older brother Michael.

"You cannot just let a traitor walk free," Michael explained. "That would go against all of Heaven's moral rules."

"Never once have I seen a law that goes against this," Raphael commented. "Not that I do not believe you brother, but I think we should—"

"We should do nothing but insist on swift justice," Michael snapped at Raphael and slammed the book in front of him on the table shut. Castiel jumped. Michael turned to face his brother. "It is not the first time someone has broken rules in the Garrison and we should treat it like such."

Castiel noticed the lack of a fourth all powerful archangel. The time he'd been sent to in his mind must have been after the fall. Lucifer was nowhere to be found and though Michael had lacked in mentioning a name his had been implied. Castiel noticed Gabriel was the third archangel in the room and he was sort of hiding in the corner. He clearly wanted no part of the debate his brothers had gotten into and he kept his mouth shut. Raphael and Michael were about to have a little spat before the doors to the room burst wide open and two guards walked over to the archangels and threw an angel down on his knees. His face was bloody and he his head hung.

The two guards nodded at Michael and left, but only after a new figure entered. He wore a smirk on his face and there was pride in the way he walked. Castiel recognized the angel immediately. It was Donathan and he seemed mighty satisfied with himself. Michael gave him a look. The two of them had never gotten along at all. Donathan had taken over as leader of the Distinguished Angel Council by force after Lucifer was cast down by Michael. Back in the olden days only archangels were on the Council, then Donathan made it so that any angel could be on it. Michael had subsequently quit afterwards followed by Gabriel and continued his job of training Warrior angels.

"Can't you see we're busy?" Michael glared at Donathan. He gracefully moved to the left of him, watching him with eyes like a hawk.

"Oh come now Michael," Donathan smirked before kicking the angel he had shackled down to the floor. "I thought you knew better than to talk to your superiors like that?"

"You are not my superior," Michael said back in a soft, but serious voice. "You are nothing but a low down dirty stealing—"

"Michael please," Gabriel pleaded with tired eyes. "Just please stop..."

"You should be happy," Donathan looked down at the prisoner. "Proud even, I caught this bastard red handed. Treason is his charge and he sure is guilty of it."

"It was totally worth it," the prisoner lifted his head and Michael, Gabriel, and Castiel were all astounded as to who it was. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Vile scum," Donathan sneered and kicked him again. The prisoner winced and gritted his teeth before breaking back into a smirk.

"Better than you," Raziel replied. "Taking over the Council by force, certainly that's a punishable crime."

"Your smart mouth will earn you more time lest these two convict you," Donathan replied. "Which I'm sure they will."

Michael stared into Raziel's eyes. The angel was hiding his fear behind them, but Michael could see it. He didn't want to convict an innocent angel, but he was so tired of everything lately.

"What is his crime?" Michael asked.

It was such a taboo subject that Donathan came close and whispered it to Michael, whose eyes proceeded to widen in disbelief. Gabriel was confused and he wanted so badly to know what Raziel did to be arrested. Castiel knew, because here he was doing the same damn thing. Castiel sighed and watched as Michael demanded Gabriel agree with him with his conviction. Gabriel was a bit split between his decision and what was right, but eventually he sighed and nodded in agreement with Michael. Donathan smirked again and Raziel's eyes were sad and broken as he followed Michael out of the room. Gabriel sheepishly followed the elder archangel through the doors and they slammed shut behind them. Castiel watched as Donathan walked over to behind Raziel. Raziel actually shook, his wings quivering on his back. Donathan opened up the same portal that Metatron did for Castiel and after it had fully opened and Donathan had had enough time to revel in his catch he kicked him into the portal and it closed up behind him.

Just then Castiel felt his stomach drop and his eyes shot open.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The morning had started off quiet as Jody had made her way to the kitchen early to make pancakes for the whole crew. She'd made a quick stop by her adopted daughter's bedroom only to see Alex curled up to Titan as he slept too. It brought a smile to the cop's face. She'd closed the door before checking on Sam too who'd still been sleeping. Gabriel was in the chair near the younger hunter's bed for he didn't need to sleep. He'd told Jody about Sam's sleeping troubles and how he was simply watching over him. Jody had smiled and said nothing before going off to make breakfast for everyone.

Once everyone had awoken and Jody had made what Gabriel had come to call 'the best pancakes he'd ever had that hadn't been conjured up', that was when Sam spoke of his grand plan.

"I need to find a way to reach Metatron," Sam explained. "He's the one who opened up the portal. I'm sure I can get him to open it back up and bring Dean and Cas back."

"Are you mental?" Jody asked. "If it were up to me I wouldn't let that bastard anywhere near you. I'd shoot him dead if that would work."

"Stand down officer," Alex joked. "While it's a crazy idea it's the only one Sam has mom."

Jody sighed and set her silverware down before leaning back in her chair. Titan came up beside Alex and she hand fed him a little sliver of pancake, earning a dirty look from Jody. Titan swallowed it and made a content sigh before slinking away and back near Sam. Gabriel gave Titan a look too but the hound only wagged his tail in response.

"Titan here will be my wing-dog," Sam explained. "He can sneak messages to anyone in Heaven. He can get my message to Metatron, well more my demand and if he can at least get him to tell me how he did it I can figure something out and get Dean and Cas home."

"Are you sure that's going to work Sam?" Jody asked. Sam gave her a look. He was getting irritated with her opposition.

"What choice do I have Jody?" Sam replied.

Jody remained silent for the rest of breakfast after that. She didn't want to disappoint Sam, but she knew for a fact that what he had planned was highly improbable. Still, she finished her breakfast and took his plate smiling the whole time. Alex gave the rest of her food to Titan and Meg woke up afterwards. Jody offered her food, but as Gabriel did not need sleep Meg lacked hunger. She thanked Jody anyway and also thanked her for putting enough trust in Titan to bring a demon into her cabin. After Sam had packed up he and Gabriel walked out to the Impala along with Meg and Titan. Jody and Alex stood in the doorway of the cabin and waved as Sam and Gabriel pulled away, a determined look on Sam's face. Meg looked to Titan and waved goodbye at Jody and Alex before snapping her fingers and disappearing. A white looking mist surrounded Titan before he too vanished. Jody sighed and Alex looked up at her.

"You don't think he can do it do you?" Alex asked.

"Do you?" Jody replied.

"It would take a miracle." Alex said.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**A/N: I know this is short! Finals week is upon us –cries—and my updates will sporadic as Hell if any at all for awhile after this one. I have to study for all four of my exams, I have a final paper to write and it's nearing Christmas too. I hope you all understand. I will be happy to answer your reviews and PMs in the mean time, but as for the next chapter you'll have to be patient. **

**I'll see you all when it's all over!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I had an extra moment because I typed my final paper, but other than this I will probably be studying. **

Chapter 25

Castiel could feel the boat rocking around him and throwing him every which way before he slammed into the side of it. He hissed in pain and grabbed his side and the edge of the boat as it rocked fiercely to the left and took him with it. He opened his eyes and looked over at Dean who was desperately trying to hold on for fear that he would be ejected into the depths of the River Styx again. Castiel's mind went into protection mode and he inched closer and closer to Dean. Dean ground his teeth as his left rib was slammed into the boat for a second time and he tried hard to level his breathing and keep his grip. Dean suddenly felt pressure on his left hand and fingers lace through his. He looked up to see Castiel holding his hand and using all of his remaining strength to keep them in place. Dean didn't question it as they braced for the impact of the waves once again.

Barakiel had a grip on Zion's collar. Angelhounds were known for standing stiff and solid as a rock if need be. Zion's eyes glowed white and he dug his claws into the hull of the boat. Ron seemed to be the only one holding on without much effort. Dean's guess was that the son of Charon had done this numerous times before, but he had to be using some sort of powers. Anyone would've been thrown off by now were they not holding on with the boat shuddering and being thrown around like it was. Ron was standing with his legs apart and still attempting to steer.

"It's the rapids," Ron yelled over the rushing water. "Everybody just hold on! It'll be over soon!"

"It can't be soon enough." Castiel's gravelly voice filled Dean's ears and the hunter laughed at that comment. Not because it was funny or anything, but because it figured. It figured everything in Hell was trying to kill them. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. Something about Castiel's hand in his though, it made Dean feel right at home even in such a hostile place. He felt safe, saved even considering what Castiel had done for him thus far in Hell to prevent his demise with little strength himself. Even his grip felt as light as a tender butterfly's wings. Still, Dean gripped as hard as he could simply knowing they could stay in place if in fact they stayed like this.

They both covered their heads and closed their eyes, relying on each other's sweaty palms to confirm they were both still in the boat. Eventually the shaking stopped and the only shaking they felt was their own bodies. Dean was the first to stand and look around. They were in another cavern, but this one was filled with houses. The houses weren't pretty to look at. They were all dilapidated and the typical town house that was in a bad neighborhood. The kind you didn't want to be caught in at night or you risked getting shot.

"Ah I thought you'd end up here," Ron commented before hopping off of the boat and onto land, taking a rope with him and securing the boat. Zion leaned over the edge of the boat and panted, his eyes still blown wide. Barakiel gave a sigh of relief and shakily stood regaining his footing. Dean helped Castiel to his feet and hesitated before letting of the angel's hand. Castiel's eyes met Dean's and then he looked down at their hands before motioning to Dean to let go. Dean jerked his hand away and he felt heat rush to his cheeks before Castiel turned away and exited the boat. "Welcome to Demontown."

"The Fourth Realm of Hell," Castiel said. "Trust me I am well aware."

"Well Mr. Know It All," Ron threw the tied rope around an anchor and dropped it into the water. "I was informing the ill advised of the group, but thank you for being a wet blanket and ruining my tour guide speech."

"You're welcome." Castiel's sarcasm was something entirely new to Dean and the hunter couldn't tell if he liked it or hated it. The only thing he did know was that it scared him a little.

"Enjoy your stay in beautiful Palm Beach," Ron replied with just as much wit and sarcasm as Castiel. "I have to be upstream for a new crop of souls. I'm taking them past here. The door you seek is near here. I figured you'd like some instructions and a safer place to sleep than the hull of a boat."

"Thanks Ron," Dean nodded. "How can we repay you?"

"Don't die anytime soon," Ron chuckled. "Then we won't have to do this again."

"Deal," Dean laughed. "I promise."

Castiel sighed. He didn't want to reply. He didn't know what kind of promises he could make.

Ron took off downstream after lifting anchor and waving goodbye. Dean had enjoyed talking to the teen. He seemed like a well rounded guy for being the son of an evil tyrant as he'd put it. Dean silently wished the best for him. He turned back around to see the two angels he was traveling with talking. Zion sat patiently by their feet with his tongue out like a regular house dog. Dean scratched behind his ears and Zion sighed contently, leaning into Dean's hand. Dean knew Titan enjoyed the gesture and he figured after all that had happened Zion would've liked some positive energy.

"If we head through Demontown," Barakiel argued. "We'll be killed! We're angels Castiel. They don't like us and they never have. They'll kill all three of us and probably Dean too. Do you honestly want that?"

"No," Castiel was adamant as he glared at Barakiel. "But what other choice do we have?"

Dean saw a mixture of emotions in Castiel's eyes. Fear, anger, and pain were the top three. They mixed together in this sort of melancholy yet pissed look that only Castiel could pull off. Dean watched him unsheathe his angel blade and keep a steady hand on it while he led them all into Demontown.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"So Dean's got this guy pinned right," Sam was enthusiastically explaining a hunt he'd been particularly proud of the outcome. Gabriel smiled and nodded. He'd listened to Sam for hours go on about anything and everything. He was glad though. He'd feared the younger Winchester was going to be sad forever. "So he sucker punches Dean in the face and tries to escape. Now granted he was a werewolf so he was kind of fast, but I took him out with just my leg. The old fashioned tripping, it was that simple! I mean can you believe that?"

"Sammy boy," Gabriel commented, kicking his feet up on the dash again and leaning back in the passenger seat, arms crossed behind his head and a content smile on his face. "You are truly one in a million. I don't think anyone has taken out a werewolf with just his foot."

"Well thank you," Sam smiled, slightly embarrassed at the kind words. "Get your feet off that dash. Dean'll kill me when I get him back."

"As you wish moose man," Gabriel took his feet down, but remained in the same position glancing over at Sam occasionally. "So how is it far 'til this bunker of yours?"

"Right here actually," Sam turned up a dirt road and the rocks clinked underneath the Impala. "There's no angel warding so you should be okay to enter. Unless something from your Loki persona will stop you. I don't think the Men of Letters even knew what angels were back then."

"We kept ourselves hidden to the humans until Luci decided to resurface," Gabriel explained, sighing at the memory. "We knew you'd need us then more than ever."

"Yeah," Sam chuckled. "You know I'm glad even though I had to go through eternal Tuesdays and TV land to get here."

"I said I was sorry for that already," Gabriel replied. "That was how many years ago?"

"I still can't listen to that song," Sam closed the driver's side door as he exited after throwing the Impala into park. "So thank you for that."

"You're very welcome princess." Gabriel chuckled and followed Sam through the door of the bunker. Sam flipped on the lights and adjusted the thermostat. The bunker was bone chilling cold. It had a presence seeking system where it only kept either the heat or the air conditioner, depending on the season, on when a human was in the bunker to conserve power. Sam, being the environmentalist that he was found it to be an excellent idea, the only downside was freezing cold floors in the morning. Besides the bunker heated up fast once it did detect a presence.

"Wow," Gabriel whistled, taking it all in. "Nice digs."

"Thanks," Sam replied. "Well I mean. I didn't build it, but my family did."

"I always knew there was something special about you kid," Gabriel smiled. "But a Man of Letters, I never would've guessed it."

"Dean and I didn't even know until this year," Sam explained. "Our time traveling grandfather had to explain it to us. Anyway, this is where we've been hiding out for months now."

"Beats motel rooms I guess." Gabriel said.

Sam threw his bag up on the table and the metal in it clanged. Sam walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.

"You want a beer or something?" Sam asked.

"Nah," Gabriel replied as he looked around again. He didn't mean to snoop, but when he saw the things he did in Sam's bag he couldn't help but pull them out. "I'm good."

Gabriel leafed through the photographs. They were all of Sam and Dean mostly, but there was one of all three of them. Three being Castiel was in one of the photos too. Gabriel stared at the photo and at his brother's genuine happiness as he laughed along with Dean. Sam was clearly the one taking the photo, but Gabriel could see something in his brother's eyes even in the picture that he hadn't before. Though he was laughing and happy, he was afraid at the same time.

"That was taken a few days before Cas took off on his own," Sam explained. "The mark hadn't been given to Dean yet. Cas wasn't hunted. Gadreel was out of me."

Gabriel snickered.

"Pervert," Sam smirked. "Anyway the point is that I kept it because Dean had cracked a hilarious joke and he got Cas of all people to laugh. They were both happy. Something that was foreign on both of them. I figured I'd better capture the moment before it went away and there wasn't another one to follow."

"Excellent choice Sambo," Gabriel set the picture down on the dining room table, but continued to stare at it. "I think they both need a little reminder sometimes of why they're friends."

"More like kindred spirits," Sam replied, laughing a little. "I've never met someone Dean got along so well with. He doesn't even tell me his best jokes. Not even before we met Cas."

"Not to mention the way Cas feels about him." Gabriel commented.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I don't even have to explain it," Gabriel replied. "Just look at the picture and you'll see it."

Sam did. He saw the sparkle in Dean's eyes. He saw the laugh lines on Castiel's face and the tilt of both of their heads. He saw genuine laughter, happiness, joy. It was all Dean had ever wanted and needed in one photograph. Sam saw it.

"You're right," Sam smiled. "It needs no words."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Demontown was far too quiet. Dean was on edge and he didn't even have to look at Castiel to know he was as well. Barakiel walked like he was a seasoned veteran and Zion stalked like he was on patrol for some priceless painting. He'd keep his nose to the ground until something caught his scent and he'd lift his head and then go right back to sniffing. Dean envied how calm and collected he was acting. He wished he could have the same demeanor, but he didn't exactly feel at home in a town of preying demons.

"We should be able to take shelter for the night," Castiel explained. "If only we keep move—"

His words were cut off by a figure jumping him and raising their knife high to strike. Castiel deflected it with his blade as Barakiel and Zion watched in pure shock. They couldn't move. Dean was about ready to spring into action, but Castiel and the figure did this sort of dance, holding each other's blades at bay before Castiel slammed the figure into the wall.

"Well this looks familiar doesn't it Clarence?" a familiar voice spoke to Castiel and he stopped his pursuit. "I see you haven't changed one bit. Did you miss me?"

Dean and Castiel both replied at the same time.

"Meg?!"

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**Sort of another filler chapter, minus what I have planned for the next one. I didn't want to leave you all hanging too long and I had some spare time tonight so I whipped this up. Hope you enjoyed!**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Another spare moment?! –gasps—what is this? Yeah it's true. I got my final paper done so I thought I'd spoil ya'll once again. Enjoy!**

Chapter 26

"So lemme get this straight," Dean stared inquisitively at the demon before them. Meg had taken all four of the weary travelers into one of the abandoned houses she deemed as her own. She'd lit a fire in the old dusty red bricked fireplace and proceeded to heat up a few cans of beans. Castiel was eating them hungrily; Dean hadn't seen that much ferocity in the angel since Famine had come to town. Dean picked at his can with a plastic fork and Barakiel didn't eat at all. Zion lapped at his bowl, trying to get the last remnants of the food. "You're here why exactly?"

"Well genius," Meg smirked and sat down backwards in a dining room chair. "It would appear that I'm dead. That tends to be why demons are congregating here."

"Alright smartass," Dean gave her a look. "I guess what I meant to say was that I didn't know you were dead."

"Your pal Crowley," Meg explained. "He stabbed me after ya'll left with the angel tablet and your pretty face in one piece. I didn't feel much in case you were concerned."

Meg's bitter words ate away at Dean's wall that he'd built up over the years. Only certain people could break it down ever so slightly and even though at one point they'd hated Meg she had truly helped them in the end and gotten killed for it. Dean couldn't help, but feeling a little guilty.

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not." She said in response and turned her back to the hunter and his crew. Dean saw Castiel's eyes soften. That was the one thing he always had liked about the angel. He had an unadulterated compassion for others. He could always seek out when something was bothering somebody. Dean could tell that right in that moment he wanted nothing more than to talk to Meg and ask her what was bothering her, but the angel kept his mouth shut. Meg tossed another can of beans to Dean and he caught it.

"Eat up," she commanded. "You're gonna need to be full and up and at em in the morning before the rest of the demons catch wind of you, if they haven't already."

Meg put another log on the fire and walked over to the pseudo kitchen of the house, which Dean suspected nothing but the refrigerator worked and he didn't know why that even did, and pulled out a rather familiar looking knife. She pocketed it and made a beeline for the front door. She slammed it behind her and Dean saw her stand outside of the window, patrolling.

"She has unresolved problems," Castiel observed. "Predictably and probably with me out of all of us, after all we didn't leave off in the best of places before she was killed I suppose."

"Don't beat yourself up Cas," Dean looked back outside at Meg pacing back and forth. "Women, you can't even begin to understand them."

With that being said, Dean felt that unmistakable sensation of tiredness taking over. He felt his muscles beginning to tire too. He lay down on the floor, succumbing to what was going to overtake him. Castiel lay down too right next to Dean. The hunter was going to explain once again the concept of personal space to him, but decided it wasn't worth wasting his breath over at this point in their friendship. Besides Dean felt this sort of need to be close to the angel. Not even because of what would happen if the demons found them, but because Castiel hadn't been himself lately. Dean couldn't help but worry about the angel. Dean still hadn't figured out why Castiel was in pain and he believed that secretly Castiel didn't want him to find out. All Dean knew was that Castiel looked more terrified deep in his eyes than a driver of a runaway train and damn if Dean wasn't going to be the one to put him back on the tracks when they got back to earth. He craned his neck to see Castiel's back to his on the floor and the angel was sound asleep and clearly more worn out than Dean. Dean reached over and patted Castiel's back for a moment, giving the angel the reassurance he craved that Dean was still there, and then rolled back over and gave into sleep himself.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Meg sensed in that moment that wasn't alone.

"Bout time you showed up," she commented with a deep sigh and sheathed her knife. "I was beginning to get worried."

_"Can't live without me huh?" _Titan walked closer to her and stood by the demon's side. He peeked through the window.

"I wouldn't go that far mutt," Meg replied, with a slight chuckle though, and she turned her head to see Dean and Castiel sleeping back to back. Barakiel and Zion had clearly gone off somewhere for they didn't need to sleep. "I guess you're really here for them aren't you, reporting back in to Sam."

_"Yes," _Titan nodded his head. "_I'll have you know that it's reassuring that they are indeed alive."_

"Yeah well you're welcome," Meg replied. "If I'd stood back and let them go through here alone they'd be demon bait by now."

_"I have this sneaking suspicion you didn't do it just for Dean?" _Titan had this tone in his voice that implied he knew something Meg didn't want him to.

"Of course I didn't," Meg snapped defensively. "I want them both to get out of here alive."

_"You're hiding something." _

"Get off of my back."

_"Not until you tell me what it is."_

"You're annoying you know that?"

_"It's a specialty of mine." _

"Fine," Meg sighed. She hadn't really wanted to get into this. She'd been hoping Castiel and Dean would just move on fast in the morning and she'd never have to see the two of them ever again. "I'm doing this more for Clarence in there. He and I were so close. We were so close to a "he and I" but then that bastard Dean had to come along. He ruined any chance I ever had."

"_So you blame Dean for the way that Castiel feels?" _Titan sat down and scratched his ear. "_That seems kind of shallow don't you think?"_

"Don't you dare call me shallow," Meg raised her voice. "You don't know how I feel! You don't have room to talk!"

_"I'd think twice before accusing someone of not feeling a certain way," _Titan advised, looking up at her. "_Especially when you don't even know me and aren't even trying to get to know me."_

"You're just a dog," Meg said, her voice faltering a bit. "What do you know?"

_"Honestly a bit about unrequited love," _Titan replied. "_But that's another story. Point is you can't force anyone to love you. Believe me I've tried. You always have two choices. You can both support them and be there as a friend when they need it or you can just walk away."_

"You're a regular Confucius aren't you?" Meg refused to look Titan in the eyes.

_"I try," _Titan said. "_I can't tell you what to do and I can't guarantee what you choose to do is going to be the right choice for you, but I can tell you right now you'll be a hell of a lot happier when you do."_

Meg bit her lip and sighed. Titan was right. The longer she lived with the pain of the past, the longer it would haunt her. She loved Castiel. She always had. But his feelings were not for her. As Titan had put she didn't own them and they weren't hers to manipulate. Instead she chose in that moment that she was going to be the bigger man per se.

"So there's no way you can get them home safely?" Meg inquired with a small tendril of hope in her voice.

_"If they were dead and souls in this plane I could bring them up to earth," _Titan explained. "_Since they are not; however, I cannot. They will have to try and find another way out."_

"There's a door," Meg told him. "It shows itself to the wrongfully accused. It is a direct portal to the earth. If they can reach that they should be able to get back home safe. I think that's where they're headed now."

_"Sam is determined to find Metatron," _Titan replied. "_He's going to get him to re-open the portal he threw Cas and Dean in and bring them back. He doesn't realize how ludicrous that is, but once Sam is determined there's no stopping him."_

"I take it you've been with them for awhile now?" Meg turned to face him finally.

_"Yes," _Titan turned his head towards her too. "_I am their guardian and I will take that duty to the grave."_

"You'd better get out of here," Meg warned him. "Before the demons catch a whiff of you. They don't like angelic beings around here."

_"Are you kicking me out already?" _Titan barked. Meg could tell he was joking. "_Fine I'll go. Just keep them alive and I'll keep you informed."_

"Will do." Meg nodded and Titan got a running start before disappearing into thin air.

Meg took a deep breath and looked back and into the dusty window again. Dean and Castiel were still asleep, but they'd subconsciously drifted closer to one another and now their backs were touching. Dean seemed more visibly relaxed than before and though she could tell Castiel was still in pain he seemed to calm a bit at the mere touch of Dean. They were good for each other. They were keeping each other sane, keeping each other grounded in such an insane place they'd been thrown into. Meg hadn't seen anything like it before and she was quite certain she never would again.

"Even more of a reason to get you two out of here." She said to herself before turning around one more time to guard the house for the night.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"It's going to work," Sam yelled from one of the back rooms of the bunker. He was busy searching for supplies they'd need for a potential summoning spell. "I'm sure of it!"

"Usually when somebody says that," Gabriel yelled back. "They turn out to be wrong!"

"Bite me!" Sam laughed and crashed about among the boxes and books in the storage room.

Gabriel chuckled and looked around the biggest room in the bunker. It seemed sort of barren. Gabriel thought it was a lack of plants at first, but then he realized it was more a lack of human life. Dean and Castiel had been gone one whole month according to Sam and though Gabriel hadn't been to the bunker before he could feel an absence like the two of them were ghosts in the halls, invisible to the naked eye alone and forever longing to just be home again. Gabriel had been in tune to all of the other angels before he'd died, but after Metatron had managed to call up enough energy to resurrect the archangel he'd lost his touch. He couldn't the other angels' grace anymore. He couldn't hear them. It was like he wasn't even one of them anymore and in a way he wasn't. He'd always liked the humans better than Heaven anyway. Still, he could relate to the feeling the "ghosts in the halls" got when they wandered wherever it was that they did. He felt a bit empty inside and he longed for a home again.

"I think I found it," Sam exclaimed and broke Gabriel out of his trance. The younger Winchester exited the room and made his way over to Gabriel to share the information. "So get this, if we find and combine these ingredients we can unwillingly summon an angel. I can't believe the Men of Letters actually had this!"

"What I meant to say earlier Sam was that we never really interacted with them," Gabriel explained. "But they did theorize that we existed. They found a way to summon an angel only once."

"Really?" Sam was intrigued. "What was his name?"

"I was a fledgling so I don't know for sure," Gabriel replied. "But I'm pretty sure he did something bad. No one seemed to want to talk about him when I'd asked so many millennia ago."

A third presence entered the room and Titan stood not but a few feet away from the pair. He looked worn out, but yearning to press on. Sam felt bad, the teleporting must've been hard on him, but he needed to know if Dean and Castiel were still alive or not and Titan certainly would obey his every command.

"_Your brother and his angel are still alive," _Titan panted and lay down on the floor for a moment. "_Man am I out of shape!"_

"Thanks Titan," Sam smiled sincerely and Titan nodded his head and whined. "Gabe you think you can find all of the ingredients for this thing?"

"It may take me up to an hour," Gabriel said. "But I can get it done."

"Thanks," Sam said. "I'm gonna go out and get some groceries. We're gonna need em when we get those two back."

"Agreed," Gabriel nodded. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Same." Sam said and walked over to get his wallet and the keys to the Impala. Gabriel flew off to get the supplies and Sam exited the bunker. Titan laid his head down when he heard the engine of the car start up and disappear into the distance. But that wasn't the only thing the Angelhound heard.

He heard voices. He heard voices in Heaven and he heard a verdict.

_Turn him human._

Titan's eyes shot wide open and he leapt to his feet. No! They couldn't do it yet! Not with Sam so close!

Titan ran faster than he'd ever run before.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**Any predictions so far from anyone?**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

All of Heaven was gathered around the Big House waiting for the verdict on Metatron. The angels that had chosen to attend the punishment were whispering excitedly amongst themselves. Donathan was especially proud of the turnout. It was bigger than when Gadreel had been sent to prison for hundreds of millennia.

"All these excited souls about an angel's eternal punishment," Donathan smirked and leaned over to Anorath. "Sort of masochistic in a way don't you think? I love it."

"Of course you would," Anorath sighed, he was opposed to most of Donathan's methods usually, but this time took the cake. "No one has done this since the dawn of the people I hope you know that. Angels becoming human is frowned upon."

"Ah but that is by choice my friend," Donathan replied and Anorath cringed at the word friend. They were far from that. "This is different. No angel wishes this and none will ever again after I'm through with him."

Donathan turned his back on Anorath and went to speak with the other members of the Council who were gathered near the front door of the Big House. Anorath shook his head as he stared back upon the hordes of angels. It really was quite masochistic wasn't it?

"Bring the prisoner forward," Donathan announced from the steps. "It is time!"

The cheers grew louder as Titan pushed his way through the crowd. Metatron was brought up by two guards to Donathan, who took him by the arm and led him inside. The rest of the Council filed in through the doors and they shut behind them. Titan jumped out of the crowd which was now confused by the hound's sudden outburst of barking. Titan ran up the steps to seek entry, but the doors were sealed tight. Panicked, he ran to the nearest window and around to the next as he followed Donathan on his path to the Council room where the punishment would take place. Titan panted and closed his eyes. He concentrated on where he wanted to go and soon he found he was in the main hallway of the Big House. Also he was exactly ten doors from the Council room. Once Titan gained his bearings he sprinted off in the direction of his target.

Meanwhile in the Council room Donathan threw Metatron down to his knees before the Council. They had already come to a consensus amongst themselves about what to do and were awaiting Donathan's final verdict. The lead angel motioned for the two escort guards to stand by the door and keep watch. They nodded and stood at attention near the half open doors. Donathan wanted his voice to echo down every hall and for everyone to hear what he had decided. Metatron's hand remained tied behind his back as he eyed the Council members. They all were wearing looks of disdain. Donathan snapped his fingers and Metatron felt his wings jut out of his back by no choice of his own.

"You asked for judgment of the highest kind," Donathan said. "And we pass it now."

Metatron stared forward as if already knowing his fate. Donathan unsheathed his angel blade.

"Exile!" his voice tore through the Big House and through the crowds outside. He heard their cheers of joy and their various other exaltations. In one quick swipe he sliced through bone and feathers and Metatron screamed. It was a shrill cry that could've chilled even the dead to the bone and the former Scribe's head hung low after it was over. Donathan then jerked his head up and sliced a small opening at his throat before revealing a small glass vial and placing it over the cut. Donathan only looked up when Titan burst through the doors.

"_Stop," _he barked. "_Please!"_

One of the guards, following Donathan's orders, whipped his foot out to kick Titan away and into the wall. The hound landed in a heap and whined as he struggled to get back to his feet but collapsed again moments later.

Metatron's grace seeped into the vial that Donathan had in his hands and he sealed it shut. He then opened up a portal to earth.

"Goodbye brother," Donathan smirked at Metatron. "You won't be missed."

Titan met Metatron's eyes and deep down inside of them he saw raw fear. But it was hidden behind a façade of pride. Titan wanted so desperately to talk to the former Scribe, well more to demand his return of Dean and Castiel from Hell, but now he had lost that chance and as he watched Metatron tumble down the dark portal and down to earth he realized they'd never have one again. Donathan and the other Council members filed out of the room. Donathan was the last to exit, but not before he picked up Metatron's bloody cut wings from the Council floor and glared over at Titan.

"Clean the blood up off of this floor," Donathan ordered before pointing to the hound. "And take care of him."

"Whatcha want us to do with him?" one of the guards asked.

"Dispose of him," Donathan rolled his eyes. "Throw him back outside. I don't care! Just do something with him."

Donathan left the room and the two guards loomed over Titan. The hound whined then pulled his ears back and growled.

"Oh shut up." The other guard stepped down hard on Titan's paw and the Angelhound let out a long painful howl before they picked him up by the scruff and started carrying him out. "Come on then."

Titan felt nothing, but white searing pain traveling up from his paw to his shoulder and his vision blurred as they rapidly approached the front doors of the Big House. When the guards pushed them open all Titan heard was the happy screams of every angel in a mile's radius and he looked over to see Donathan holding up the bloody wings as proof that the deed was done. He was sporting quite the accomplished smile. But that was all the hound saw before he was tossed down the stairs of the Big House and landed with a thud at the base of them. No one seemed to notice. They were all transfixed on the wings. The hound could feel his ribs had been bruised and his paw was broken from the guard's boot and strength. Eventually the screams died out and no one was left. Donathan was gone and so were the guards that had thrown him. Titan lifted his head to scan the immediate area and no angels were to be found. The hound whined in defeat and his head fell back to the dirt, his eyes closing minutes after.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

When Dean awoke his mouth was cotton dry and he felt as though he'd been sleeping on rocks. The hunter sat up and cracked his back by twisting left then right. He didn't stop until he heard a satisfying pop. He then yawned and took a look around him. He'd almost forgotten he was Hell for a moment. Then the memories flooded back to him when he felt ghost pain shoot through his leg up to his knee. Dean hissed through his teeth and he grabbed for his lower leg.

"I would heal it for you had I the power," Castiel's voice was heard and the angel craned his neck to look at Dean. "I want you to know that."

"Believe me Cas I know," Dean replied. "I should be fine until we reach dry land."

"We're not on the boat anymore Dean."

"It's an expression Cas." Dean grunted and stood from where he'd been sleeping. The rays of light streaming through the dirty old window nearby signaled to Dean that it was as close to morning as Hell got. Dean yawned again and covered his mouth before looking around to search for the rest of their traveling companions. The door to the house swung open and three figures stepped inside.

"_Breakfast is served_," Zion announced before dropping a bone on the ground. "_It's tender and juicy and still has meat clinging to it."_

"Yeah that's yours pal," Barakiel chuckled. "I doubt the human of the group would like that very much. Here you are Dean."

Meg came in after them and shut the door softly. She didn't want any demons to hear or catch wind of the scent of intruders. Dean made eye contact with her and she seemed to be thinking about something. He saw her look over at Castiel and quickly her eyes darted away. Castiel didn't even seem to notice. Dean picked up on it immediately, but kept his mouth shut. He un-wrapped the food that Barakiel had somehow managed to find and bit into it, it almost tasted real like the stuff one would find on earth. Dean missed earth. He hated Hell with a passion already and he was going to kill Metatron for ever sending him there again. He knew the Scribe's beef with Castiel though had played a crucial role. Plus it wasn't like anyone had asked Dean to jump in after Castiel, but it was Castiel. Dean would go to the ends of the earth for the angel and ultimately he already had. Now his only hope was that he and said angel could get back home safely once again from their latest escapade.

"If you all set out now," Meg explained. "You can pass through Demontown relatively safely. Most of the demons are asleep."

"_Key word most," _Zion gnawed on the bone he'd managed to find. "_What about those that aren't?"_

"Oh ye of little faith," Meg replied. "I can guarantee you'll get out of here alive."

_"Hey I'm an Angelhound," _Zion barked. "_I was born of faith. I'm just debating the odds." _

"Well the odds have never been something to stop me," Dean announced. "I've been here before and I highly doubt the demons of this realm will want to mess with a former Knight of Hell."

The room fell silent for a moment before anyone spoke again.

"The door you're looking for isn't far from here," Meg continued to explain. "You'll probably get to earth by their next morning, but I have to tell you it's been a month up there since you've last seen your brother and that dog of yours."

"Wait what?" Dean gave her a suspicious look. "How do you know that?"

"I uh," Meg stammered. "I took a guess?"

Suddenly she was pushed up against the wall with Dean's arm on her chest.

"You mean you've been talking to Titan," Dean exclaimed in anger. "And he knows I'm down here, me and Cas, and he hasn't found a way to get us back yet?!"

"Dean," Castiel put his hand in between of them. Meg's breath hitched at his touch and Dean felt this almost instant calm come over him. Castiel seemed to have that effect on him. Dean let go of her and she stumbled against the wall. "That's enough."

"He can't bring you back up unless you were dead," Meg took a deep breath. "Nothing personal, but I don't feel like killing either of you just so you can get back via Angelhound."

"Thanks for what it's worth." Dean sighed.

"I say we continue on the path we've been taking," Barakiel said. "The door will show itself to you two. You're worthy, Lorelei said so."

Dean remembered the old medicine woman from the start of their journey. She hadn't doubted that they could make it unscathed and that the door would shot itself to them. Ron had taken them down the Styx against Charon's wishes and further than he was supposed to. Even Dean and Castiel's current companions were doing everything in their power to make sure the duo got out of Hell. Dean didn't know whose side he'd managed to get on, but he only hoped that he could stay there.

He also remembered Lorelei's haunting words regarding Castiel. But that was another story, that, along with the dreams that Dean had been having every time he slept.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go." Dean said with conviction.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam was pulling up the dirt road to the bunker when he got the call.

"_Sam," _Jody said. "_I hope none of your little angel friends are planning on causing a mess nearby?"_

"Not that I know of Jody," Sam was confused. "Why?"

_"Well call me crazy," _Jody gripped the steering wheel of her police cruiser and pulled off the road she was on. "_But I think I just saw a man fall from the sky."_

Sam gripped the steering wheel too. He hit the brakes on the car and dust kicked up around the Impala.

"Jody what are you talking about exactly?" Sam asked, fear was evident in his voice.

"_Sam I just said exactly what I'm talking about," _Jody replied, a bit bewildered. "_I just saw an older man fall from the sky and crash land right near me. I don't even think I can make this stuff up."_

Sam dropped the phone and pulled the car to a halt in front of the bunker after speeding up there.

"_Sam? Sam!" _Jody said. She was confused as to why he stopped answering her.

Sam bolted inside and saw Titan lapping gingerly at a bowl of water that Gabriel had set down. Gabriel looked up at Sam shocked and swallowed hard. He wanted to tell him.

"Titan," Sam ran over to the hound and put a hand on his back. "What happened to you?"

_"I-I tried to stop it," _Titan panted and whined in pain. His left front leg was bent and lifted up from the ground. _"I tried to get in there before Donathan cast him down, b-but when I did they threw me against the wall and I was too late..."_

Titan staggered a bit and collapsed onto his side. The hound whimpered when Sam picked him up and took him to the couch. He set him down gently and covered his lower half with a blanket. Titan licked Sam's hand and Sam forced a smile before turning to Gabriel.

"We were too late Sam," Gabriel sighed, looking down in defeat. "I'm sorry."

Sam stormed out of the bunker and all that the archangel and the Angelhound heard next was an exasperated yell from Sam outside that Gabriel was sure the entire town below heard. Gabriel cringed, Titan whined again, and Sam...

Well Sam finally cried.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**Poor Sammy...so close and now he's frustrated beyond belief. **

**More to come soon!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Dean could live his entire life without seeing another demon and be perfectly happy. So far he'd decapitated at least fifty of them that had come at the group of five in the last hour and the little fight was far from over. The demons apparently didn't seem to care that Dean had once been a Knight of Hell and they continued to lay siege at him and Dean had no trouble taking their heads off. The only thing that he was having trouble fathoming was his dreams lately. The hunter's dreams had shifted from the blood and gore of his previous victims splattering against walls and seeping into carpets and had gone to dreams of a hawk.

He was dreaming of the same hawk from his first dream in Hell. It was the hawk that had turned into Castiel, but in each dream it was different. In the most recent of the dreams the hawk was guiding Dean through the twists and turns of canyons in some New Mexico desert with the heat seeping through the various layers of clothing Dean wore and the sun beaming down so bright the hunter had to shield his eyes. He could only follow based on the hawk's cries. When he'd touched the walls of the brown rock canyon it had crumbled into dust in between his fingers. The sun had gone behind a wall of rock and Dean could see again, but he'd struggled for a moment or two to find the hawk and he'd licked at his chapped lips. He'd been so thirsty in the dream that he'd felt it penetrate him to the very core. The hawk had landed on a rock near a small tree, which Dean was surprised was living, near a tiny river and cawed at Dean as if motioning for him to come closer. Dean had come closer and collapsed to his knees in front of river. The hunter had cupped his hands together and dipped them into the cool clear water and drunken from it. He'd let out a tiny gasp in relief for he'd been so damn thirsty he could've drunken sweat and been happy.

But behind him had been that strange man again and perched on his shoulder was the hawk, shackled by its neck and cooing sadly. Its magnificent blue eyes had stared into Dean's with nothing but remorse and the creature looked guilt wracked. Dean couldn't decipher why such a small creature would be able to feel the crushing feeling of human guilt, but Dean hadn't had a chance to say anything before the strange man had spoken to simple words that made Dean's heart sink to his stomach and further.

"_He's mine." _

He'd smirked and the shackles around the hawk's wings and neck had tightened, cutting off its circulation and the hawk struggled for breath. Its wings had flapped wildly in all directions and Dean had shot to his feet to try and help, but he'd found he couldn't move. That is, he couldn't move until he'd woken up.

He'd tried to talk to Meg about the dreams, but he'd had little luck with compassion from her. She'd only told him to ask Castiel what they meant, but as typical as the luck of a Winchester Dean didn't have a chance to talk to the angel before the first gaggle of demons had attacked and here Dean was now trying to fend off yet another round. He sliced off the head of the leader of the group and the rest scattered and were picked off by Meg and Barakiel. Dean silently thanked Zion for sticking close to Castiel during the attacks. The angel had been growing even weaker still since their departure from the safe house Meg had provided for them in the demon's Realm. Zion helped Castiel along as the angel shot a reassuring look towards Dean that he was fine. Dean nodded in response and motioned for Barakiel and Meg to follow. They were almost out of that Realm and once they got out they were home free, literally.

Dean kicked up dust when he ran and run he did. He sprinted down the road in between the rows of dilapidated townhomes with rotting stairs and broken windows and turned the corner to see a gate that signaled the outside of the Realm. Dean managed a smile and waved his hand to show his friends the exit. Zion stayed behind Castiel the entire time as both angel and Angelhound passed through the gate with ease. Barakiel approached Dean with Meg in tow and the three of them only a moment's peace before the demons begun to descend again from the rooftops and through once closed wooden doors. Barakiel ran ahead of Dean and slipped past where Castiel stood. Meg and Dean were neck and neck, but suddenly Dean felt his ankle being grabbed. He tumbled to the ground with a thud and turn around to see a demon smiling menacingly at him. Dean covered his face when Meg chopped off the demon's hand and he tumbled off of Dean and clutched at his bleeding hand, screaming as he did so.

Meg took Dean's hand and helped him up from the dirt and the two of them continued to run towards the gate again. Dean slid through with ease, but Meg was stopped suddenly as if by an invisible force field. She gasped and pressed at the air in front of her, but nothing let up and she sighed. Dean ran up to the gate.

"Meg c'mon," Dean urged her. "We gotta go!"

"You guys do," Meg replied. "I can't go any further. The Realm keeps me here because of what I am. The binding spell Titan put on me expired. I'm kinda stuck Winchester."

"Meg," Dean looked behind her at the demons creeping up. "They'll kill you for hiding us."

"Not if I kill em first," Meg smirked and let out a tiny chuckle. "Besides if they die down here they just get reborn and they forget about everything that's happened that day before they died again."

Dean sighed and looked over at Castiel who was leaning on Barakiel and barely able to keep his eyes open. He was petting Zion to keep himself awake. Meg could sense Dean's worry.

"Go," Meg said. "Ya'll deserve to go home. After all you've been through and I don't just mean now. You both deserve to go home."

She smiled at the hunter and Dean smiled back and nodded at her.

"Now go before I kick your ass," Meg laughed and unsheathed her knife again and her left hand fell to her side before she turned around to face the horde of demons. "Oh and Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean replied.

"Take care of my unicorn." Meg gave one last smile and then glared at the demons that were advancing on her. She raised her blade.

"Come and get me assholes!"

Dean and the others were out of the sight of the demon's Realm when they heard the shrieks of dying demons. Among them though was a female scream and Dean cringed for it shot through him. He swallowed hard and continued on after his traveling companions.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam hadn't slept since he'd heard the news. He was back to his previous psyche where he mind wandered like a weary traveler that he couldn't keep up with to save his life. He ate bits and pieces of what he could find in the house. Sam's hair was laden with grease and it was knotted in the back from a poor attempt at brushing it in the mornings. It had been three days and Gabriel had noticed the dramatic difference in the younger Winchester. He'd stuck around longer than he'd planned because clearly Sam couldn't be left alone for a mere moment or he'd fall into certain oblivion.

Sam's dreams hadn't been the nicest. He'd been wracked by ghostly Kevin Tran again looking pissed as ever and only saying one line over and over and over and over again.

"_You did this to me Sam."_

But Sam's dreams hadn't stopped there. They'd warped into nonsensical pieces of gibberish that even the archangel couldn't decipher when he'd spied on them. Everything from talking floating heads to creepy men with red eyes made of mist and smoke. They all tormented his subconscious and Gabriel would sit beside Sam's bed every night and hear his cries for help. Cries the archangel couldn't answer or remedy. Often times though they'd cease for awhile when Titan limped into the room and jumped up on the bed. He'd place his head under Sam's arm so the hunter could feel his fur and sometimes he'd squeeze it, holding onto it like an anchor sinking into the depths of reality.

Titan had managed to heal his ribs by use of his angelic powers, but his broken shoulder and paw took longer. Infliction from another angel, if more severe, took weeks to mend sometimes. Titan would whine and lick Sam's hand when he'd dream bad things and the younger Winchester would stop muttering and shaking for a few minutes before the dream would resume. Titan would let out a heavy sigh and simply snuggle up to Sam's side for comfort. The hound knew what it was like to lose someone. He'd lost many a someone in his eternal lifetime.

Gabriel knew how it felt too. To be ridden with guilt about not being able to save someone. He'd lost so many of his brothers and sisters to battles foreign and domestic and he couldn't have possibly saved all of them. He still heard their cries in the night sometimes when he was alone with his own thoughts and the former trickster guessed that was exactly what was echoing through Sam's mind when he slept. Gabriel had really taken a liking to Sam and he wished there was some way he could help him again. But all the archangel could do was watch over Sam for Dean. That was all Dean would've wanted anyway. He could also only pray that Dean and his brother could find some way out of Hell before Sam did something too drastic.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"There it is," Barakiel commented. "One of the last Realms in Hell. We made it."

Dean felt like he could breathe again. His aching feet came to a stop before he stopped in front of another large opening through a tunnel. The opening was much like the one's they'd started off in and for a second Dean had a sickening thought that they'd gone in a complete circle. Luckily he was proven wrong by the River Styx flowing contently nearby. That hadn't been there when they'd started the journey. Dean let out a breath he hadn't even been aware he'd been holding. Dean saw more hills nestled behind the river in the distance and on top of those rocky hills was everything he could've hoped and more.

"The door," Dean almost whispered in disbelief. "It's real. Cas?"

Castiel was weakly clinging to Barakiel's side, but he managed to look up to behold the beauty that was their way home. He smiled in response and his eyes met Dean's. They flooded with relief and he even chuckled a little.

"Yes Dean," Castiel nodded. "I can see it too."

Dean looked over at Barakiel who cocked his head ever so slightly in the direction the duo was staring with a look that was a mixture of melancholy and confusion on his face. Dean forgot that the former angel wasn't able for redemption. Zion whined and poked his head up under Barakiel's hand that was by his side. Zion looked up at his friend with wide eyes that showed a range of emotions that mimicked the angel's. Dean couldn't help, but feel a bit guilty. Here he was, along with Castiel, escaping to a world that neither Barakiel nor Zion had seen for millennia.

"You'd best go," Barakiel motioned with his head towards the door that was very much invisible to him. "It can probably smell sin and Zion and me being here probably isn't helping."

"Thank you," Dean said. "For everything."

"_Ah don't get sentimental on me kid," _Zion barked. "_I may just cry."_

"We'll take you to the base of the hills," Barakiel replied. "Then we must go, we have a long journey back after all."

That was exactly what Barakiel and Zion did. The group of four carefully ascended the hill with a few stumbles along the way by Castiel and one almost tumble by Zion due to a lack of proper footing. Eventually though the group made it up to the flat top of the hill and were mere inches away from the door.

"I must say it's been a pleasure," Barakiel shook Dean's hand and Zion barked and Dean petted behind the hound's ears. "I do hope we won't do this again anytime soon. Preferably not ever."

"Same to you," Dean nodded and gave his hand a firm shake. "Thanks again."

By now Castiel was leaning on Dean's side and the hunter held him up by an arm as the pair made their way over to the door. Dean touched the polished brass knob and as if by magic the door started to open before them.

"Kyrie Eielson my friends." Barakiel said.

"You know," Castiel chuckled. "That isn't the first time I've heard that this week."

"What does it mean?" Dean asked Castiel, but Barakiel answered for him.

"It means Lord have mercy," Barakiel smiled. "Good tidings in your travels."

_"Yeah same from me," _Zion sat down next to his angel friend and focused his gaze on Dean. "_Oh and Dean, can you do something important for me?"_

"Uh," Dean was a bit confused, but he couldn't deny him. "Sure buddy?"

_"Take care of my son for me." _

Dean was about to answer in pure shock before he felt a pure white light coming from behind and enveloping both him and Castiel. Castiel gave a final smile to his old friend and the hound both of whom were standing and watching in pure awe. All Dean could do was close his eyes after the light got too bright and he kept a firm grip on Castiel.

When the light faded away was when Dean knew they were finally out of the woods.

They were finally home.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**Sorry Zion had to drop a bomb on you guys when it was too late, but hopefully what he said was clear. **

**So they're home? Sounds too good to be true right?**

**That and many more will be answered as the chapters go along.**

**More to come soon!**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Dean felt an overwhelming sense of relief flood over him when they emerged onto earth again, but he also felt searing pain. He yelped when his foot hit the ground and Castiel hissed in pain as well when Dean almost keeled over. Dean staggered on the old asphalt road and once he regained his footing he looked around. They weren't near anything identifiable. All that Dean could see was an old rusted mile marker sign and a young crow picking at a dead opossum on the side of road that was half decayed away. Normally Dean wouldn't have been bothered by such a sight, but between the sudden change in temperature from hot to chilly, the pain in his leg, and the fact that he hadn't eaten since hours ago. He found he had to turn his head away and hold his breath for a moment. He turned back to face Castiel.

"We walk until we reach a town," Dean breathed through the pain. "Then I'm gonna call Sam. Something tells me we're not anywhere near the bunker. The crow tells me that there's recently been a car down this road, from that direction so we're headed that way. "

"Yes Dean." That was all Castiel could muster. Dean could tell the angel was tuckered out. He sighed and lifted Castiel's arm so it was around his shoulders and the two of them begun to slowly limp and walk the opposite way of the opossum and crow and down the road. The sun was just beginning to sink lower in the sky signaling it was almost evening. Dean cursed when his leg slipped the wrong way and Castiel seemed dead on his feet, but the two slowly made their way away from the roadside carnage and towards the signs of life. The crow lifted its head up and cawed at the duo before taking off in their direction with them.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

When they reached the nearest town Dean couldn't help, but remember everything about it.

"Well I'll be damned again the universe brought me home," Dean chuckled. "We're in Lawrence."

"That is not far at all from the bunker," Castiel commented. "That's fantastic."

Dean nodded and readjusted the archangel on his shoulder and the pair continued on. Dean looked around and he took everything in. He remembered all of this from being a kid and also when Castiel had sent him back in time and he'd met his young father. The bench Dean had woken up on had advertisements on the back of it and it was starting to rot a little on the bottom. He and Castiel rounded a corner and Dean saw another familiar sight. The sight of the diner when he'd first met Young John Winchester. Perfect. Dean led Castiel into it and the door chimed behind them.

"Hey buddy," the guy behind the counter asked. "You guys ok?"

The few customers that were in the diner looked over too and one of them gasped at the sight of Dean's torn leg. A tiny bit of white bone was peeking out and Dean hissed in pain again. The man behind the counter rushed to his side, but Dean pushed him away.

"I'm fine." Dean exclaimed. "Just, water please and maybe some food. I-I'll pay."

"What happened?" the man was worried beyond belief.

"Got attacked in the woods by something," Dean explained. "I'll be okay, it wasn't rabid. It just tore right into me. Wild dog I think. Please I'll pay whatever the price is we just need some food we've been traveling for days."

"Yeah," the man nodded and let go of Dean's arm before running back behind the counter and starting up the grill. "Yeah man of course."

Dean nodded in thanks and sat down across from Castiel in the nearest booth. Castiel slumped contently against the back of the booth's chair and Dean mustered up a smile for the angel. The man who ran the place came quickly with their waters and Castiel inched forward to the straw and sucked up the liquid like it was gold. Dean gracious drank too. He was so thirsty. He shook with hunger too. The other two customers were a bit put off, but otherwise friendly. They waved goodbye to Dean and Castiel when they left and the door jingled behind them. The man who owned the diner went to the door and turned the open sign to closed.

"You two are priority right now," he explained. "I don't get much business anymore anyway. Not since the old days. Diners are losing their appeal a bit I guess. You two can stay as long as you like and don't worry about money. You're both hurting."

"So are you." Dean spoke up. He was referring to the lack of business.

"You're hurting differently than we are," the man replied. "Besides I've got my wallet right here."

"Son what did I tell you," the man scolded. "I'm doing what I think is right. Helping other people is always what's right."

"Thank you," Castiel nodded. "You are a good soul."

"Just being myself." The man smiled at a tired Castiel.

"What is your name?" the angel asked.

"Jack." The man said.

"Thanks Jack." Dean said and Jack walked back off towards the grill.

For a half hour Dean and Castiel sat in silence. The sun sunk lower in the sky until it was practically gone and the streets begun to clear as people went home to eat and sleep until the next busy day. Jack had brought candles to the table and lit them. Dean stared at the flame and it reminded him solely of Lorelei and the talks she and Dean had had.

_"Cherish him for one day he will be gone."_

He didn't know why her words echoed through his mind right in that moment. Maybe it had something to do with all they'd gone through. Maybe it was due to the atmosphere and how it could easily mimic Demontown in the depths of Hell. Maybe though it was the music playing softly in the background, Jack's stereo system was the only updated thing in the place and through the speakers in the ceiling Toad the Wet Sprocket's "_Pray Your Gods_" bled into the hunter's ears. The lyrics weren't relevant in the moment, but the music behind it all had an eerily melancholy tone that allowed Dean to drift into the past if he wanted to. His eyes broke from the fire when Jack set their food down.

"Eat all you want free of charge," Jack said. "There's a motel two blocks from here if you're looking for a place to stay for the night."

"Thanks Jack." Dean nodded and dug into his food. Castiel dug in too as Jack walked away to the back of the diner to calculate some numbers. Dean came up for air and looked over at the angel who had devoured half of his burger already and his blue eyes met Dean's.

"Is something wrong Dean?" Castiel asked.

"Nah," Dean didn't know if it was the mood lighting, the taste of food finally, or the company, but he felt more content than he ever had in the last few months. "Everything's just...right. Everything's absolutely right."

Castiel smiled in response.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The motel Dean checked the two of them into wasn't anything spectacular. But it was enough to get them by for the night. The wallpaper hadn't been updated since before the seventies and the service consisted of one woman who ran it and no complimentary breakfast. All of the rooms were available except for the one Castiel and Dean had checked into and one other one that had been given to an obviously rich business tycoon and a sleazy hooker. Dean gave him a look that he didn't see as the couple passed Dean and Castiel. The hunter and the angel made their way down to the far end of the dingy and dimly lit hallway to their room. The carpets were older than dirt and the number on the door was faded. Dean grunted as he opened the door and limped over to the bed that was probably infested with bed bugs, but the hunter didn't care. He'd faced far worse things in his lifetime.

Dean had failed to notice something when he walked in that he was just now noticing.

There was only one bed in the room.

Dean started to look around for a couch, for anything. Normally Castiel wouldn't sleep, but these were dire consequences where the angel was probably going to pass out where he stood if he didn't get sleep soon.

"Dean," Castiel came closer and sat on the other side of the bed. "I believe we've been friends long enough to survive one night of this."

Dean couldn't respond. Did Castiel actually imply he wouldn't mind sleeping in the same bed as Dean? Dean's heart began to pound and he felt sweat pooling on the palms of his hands. Castiel leaned over slowly to remove his shoes and he threw his trench coat onto a nearby chair. His more human mannerisms ultimately freaked Dean out for he'd known the angel when he was robot per se, before he'd been introduced to the ways of earth. Dean followed suit, ditching his jacket and throwing it into the same chair Castiel's trench coat was on. Dean gingerly took off his shoes and placed them by the side table. The lamps were so dusty that Dean figured if they even bothered to turn them on it'd make no difference in light whatsoever. A tiny ray of street light peeked in through the yellowing curtains and that was enough for the hunter.

Castiel removed his suit pants and jacket and he was left in a white t-shirt and black boxers. Dean tried not to look at him, but it was so strange looking upon the angel like he was anyone else. Because, well, Castiel wasn't just anyone else and he'd certainly never been just anyone else to Dean. Dean left his pants on for fear of disrupting his broken leg's structure any more than he already had, but let his flannel shirt drop to the floor. The left side of the bed dipped with Castiel's weight and the angel settled into the pillow. Dean nuzzled his cheek into the fluffy white pillow on the right side and he pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. Castiel did the same.

"Ok house rules," Dean demanded. "No snuggling, no kicking, no loud snoring, and no stealing the blankets. This goes for the both of us."

"As you wish, Dean." Castiel hid a smile from his friend.

"Good," Dean turned on his side as comfortably as a man with excruciating pain and a broken leg could. "Night Cas."

"Goodnight Dean." Castiel replied and closed his eyes.

The house rules stood, but were slowly broken for at some point Castiel managed to kick a little, Dean pushed his body closer to the adjacent heat, and Dean stole almost all of the covers in an attempt to be warmer and Castiel had to steal them back.

But neither party seemed to care much.

**Reviews are appreciated and welcomed!**

**Well wasn't that borderline domestic?! Why won't these two idiots in love make me make it happen?**

**Oh well, the important thing is they made it to earth. Now what will they face when they get home?**

**More to come soon.**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Sammy," Dean left a voicemail from out front of the motel as he leaned against the wall for support. "Listen man, I'm sorry. I know that doesn't cut it, but I'm sorry for leaving again. I'm sure it pushed you over the edge and if it did then well I hope you're not alone. Me and Cas, we're back on earth. There was this door and it let us out and well I'll tell you the rest when we get to the bunker. We'll see yah soon brother."

Dean hung up the phone and looked over as Castiel exited the motel too and looked around. Dean whistled to signal where he was and Castiel turned his head in Dean's direction and hurried over to him. The only car available was the rich tycoon's that was parked right in front of the hunter and the angel and with a few small maneuvers Dean had it hotwired and he sat in the driver's seat. Castiel got into the passenger side and shut the door.

"We slept in late Cas," Dean tapped the dashboard clock and it read 3:30pm. "I guess we needed it though."

"Hours in Hell are different than earth hours," Castiel explained. "We'll need a few days to acclimate."

"Yeah," Dean concluded before gingerly resting his injured leg against the car door and pressing slightly on the gas with his other leg. The pain from the gash in his leg radiated up through him and Dean ground his teeth to keep from yelling out as he turned onto the long road out of Lebanon.

"Won't this man miss his car?" Castiel asked, knowing Dean was getting sick of him asking about his leg.

"He's rich Cas," Dean said. "He'll buy a new one."

Most of the car ride back was silent. The journey would take them almost four hours, but Dean couldn't care less. Though he was in searing pain it numbed a little when he'd occasionally look over at Castiel without the angel's knowledge and at one point he was enthralled with the scenery outside no matter how simple it was. Somehow Dean felt content in his pain though the miles dragged on and millions of unknown songs on the only radio station that worked. Because he was by the side of his friend and they were out of Hell and they were going home.

They stopped once in a pit stop for food and Dean pigged out on yet another cheeseburger and french fries. Castiel nibbled a bit on a sandwich, but he didn't end up finishing it. After one round of bathroom breaks, finishing food, and Castiel refusing to leave until he found this crying lost little girl's mother the pair finally hit the road again. They were two hours out and the sun was starting to go down. Dean was totally relying on the exit signs for navigation. The stars twinkled in the sky above and the grassy shoulders of the road blew in the wind as it made its way across the fields. Castiel was asleep again. Dean was partly jealous that the angel got to sleep when he was in so much pain, but then again Castiel had sacrificed so much for the hunter when they'd fought their way through Hell this time and ultimately he deserved the rest. Dean could take one for the team once again.

The hunter stepped on the gas hoping to make better time.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"Maybe you should check that voicemail Sam," Gabriel said. "It could be important."

"Doubt it," Sam replied. It was his fourth day of self despair as Gabriel and Titan had nicknamed it. "Jody'll live if she doesn't hear from me."

"You're being ridiculous," Gabriel suddenly exclaimed. "Would Dean want you to mope around like this? I don't think so! If I know Dean-O and I do he'd want you to stop being a self wallowing asshole and get your ass up out of this bed and live!"

Sam gasped as Gabriel flung the sheets off of him. He was about to protest before Gabriel gave him a look that could kill. Sam knew the archangel meant business and ultimately he didn't want to feel the wrath of someone of his power. Against what his mind was telling him to do Sam got up. He looked rough he had to admit, but Gabriel's look made him not want to waste time looking in the mirror. Sam made his way to the living room and stared at the dining table that was covered in what he and Gabriel were going to use to summon Metatron and Sam felt this tiny surge of anger flare back up in his gut. If he did nothing else with his life he certainly was going to hunt down Metatron and kill him for Dean and Castiel.

There was a banging at the bunker door and Sam stopped dead in his tracks. The only other people who knew about the bunker were Charlie and Jody and neither of them would be at the door at that time of night. Sam was confused but he walked in the direction of the noise and felt something overtake the rage when he threw open the door. He felt nothing, but pure shock.

"Hope you didn't miss us too much Sammy." Dean said with a small smile on his face, his weight all on his right leg and Castiel's arm thrown around his shoulder. Sam didn't even think about anything else. Metatron escaped his mind, Gabriel's previous words were lost on him and everything faded away as he threw his arms around his brother and tried not to cry. Titan's head lifted from the bed and though he slipped and fell when he jumped off of Sam's bed he sprinted to the door and barked happily at Dean and Gabriel watched, invisible, with a smile on his face.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

After an array of questions from Sam, mostly about the stolen car and a fulfilling dinner Dean limped his way down to his room. It was exactly as he'd left it. The dust had collected on his desk a little, but other than that it was relatively spotless. Titan was right by Dean's side as the hunter made his way over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. The pain was almost unbearable now.

"_I can heal the gash and most of the pain," _Titan explained. "_But it will have to be in a brace for a few days."_

"That's fine," Dean winced. "Just please fix what you can."

Titan's eyes went white and he healed the skin around Dean's injury. It closed up and Dean felt a flood of relief. It still ached, but it wasn't broken anymore and the skin was healed. He could actually put weight on the leg and he did so to test it out. Titan hopped onto the bed beside him and Dean petted the top of the hound's head.

"I shall take the room across from yours Dean," Castiel said from the hallway, carrying a pillow and some clean clothes draped over his right arm. "I'll see you in the morning."

Dean was about to say something, but then Castiel walked away and shut the door across the hall behind him. Sam showed up in Dean's doorway a moment later, smiling a little. He walked inside Dean's room and sat down in his desk chair.

"You wanna talk about it?" Sam asked.

"There's nothing to say." Dean replied and deadpanned.

"I haven't slept for four nights," Sam explained. "And you claim there's nothing to say?"

"It was Hell Sam," Dean said. "Plain and simple, we made it out alive. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Dean I thought you were gone for real this time." Sam argued.

"When has that ever stopped us?"

"Look," Sam stood up. "I don't want to get into this tonight. I'm happy you're back Dean I really am, but once you decide you'd rather talk to me about what happened over the past few months up here than be a sarcastic ass about it I don't wanna hear it."

Sam walked out, closing the door behind him.

Dean sighed and carefully changed out of his dirty clothes. Images from Hell flashed through his head. Words did too.

_"Cherish that man."_

_ "Don't die again anytime soon."_

_ "Take care of my unicorn."_

_ "Take care of my son."_

At first Dean hadn't given them a second thought while he was down in Hell. He'd been working too hard to get home and fighting for his life. Now he could finally reflect on them. Everyone who had helped him down in Hell had pushed him along in the most subtle way, but somehow the undertones all screamed at him. They were all about taking care of someone, of something. Little did any of them know that Dean was too spent to take care of anyone now. He needed sleep more than anything. So the hunter crawled into bed and tucked the blankets up around him, fighting with Titan for his fair share and he fell into a restless slumber.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**This is more of a filler chapter I know, but trust me I have plenty of drama planned after this. This is supernatural after all. **


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Dean had woken up late, eaten a whole hoagie that was in the fridge, and then sat on his ass on the couch and watched a marathon of Dr. Sexy. Sam had called back a worried Jody and Alex back after about three missed calls that day.

_"Dean it's good to hear your voice."_

"It's good to hear yours too Jody."

_"Tell your brother I'm going to kick his ass."_

"He can hear you Jody." Dean laughed.

"_Sam I'm gonna kick your ass. You know why."_

"Yeah Jody I know why." Sam replied with a slightly worried chuckle.

Dean laughed loudly at the look on his brother's face and after some berating from the cop on what exactly she could do to Sam if he ever chose to not answer the phone ever again the younger Winchester hung up and joined his older brother on the couch for a few episodes of the cheesy hospital drama. They shared an argument about who should win Dr. Sexy's heart in the current episode before it ended and the channel switched to another show. Dean muted the television when Castiel emerged to join then; at least that's what Dean hoped he'd do. They'd been through so much non-stop action in the past months that the angel should've been getting a well earned rest. Castiel looked the exact opposite of well rested though, his eyes had bags under them and he looked paler than his usual pasty self. His pajamas were some of Dean's older ones that didn't fit the hunter as well anymore. The thought of Castiel in his clothes sent this strange, but good, feeling throughout Dean.

Titan trotted along beside Castiel and Dean could tell there was something the hound was sensing that Sam and Dean couldn't. But every time Dean wanted to ask Titan, Castiel would perk up again and have what Dean had dubbed "a good hour". Castiel's bad hours seemed to come close to bedtime and night hours or after he'd done a lot of physical activity as Dean had closely observed in Hell. But now as the angel shot a smile Dean's way he felt as though he was worrying over nothing at all. Castiel joined them as Dean had hoped and sat in the chair near the couch, groaning a bit as he settled in but then he listened in on Dean and Sam's conversation as if the older Winchester and he hadn't just come back from a long expedition through Hell. Things seemed as normal as they could be in that moment and ultimately Dean wished he could stay in it forever, but sadly as the hour of dinner grew closer he had been elected to go to the store to get the food for it.

Dean had parked the stolen car in the back of the bunker, presumably to rot. They didn't need to be seen driving it after all. He'd asked Castiel to join him in the endeavor assuming the angel could use the exercise and time amongst other humans desperately after being on the run down under. Dean started up the Impala and savored her purr before pulling out of the driveway and starting to drive down the long gravel road away from the bunker. Dean looked over to the side of the vehicle and saw Titan running alongside it. Eventually the Angelhound hopped into the back seat through an open window and barked to alert of his presence. Dean smiled and Castiel gingerly reached back and scratched at the hound's head, behind his ears where he liked it. Castiel's fingers moved painfully slowly and Titan whined in concern and leaned closer to the angel so that he could pet him properly.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

When they reached the store the parking lot was a lot more crowded than Dean had anticipated so he had to park far out. He hated making Castiel make the walk, but the angel seemed to be having a good hour so Dean got out of the Impala and waited patiently for Castiel to catch up to him. Titan was stuck to Castiel's side even after Dean's protest and commands to the hound to stay behind in the car. Titan even growled a bit at Dean and Dean gave up and promised Titan could come, but only if he went "invisidog", the phrase Dean had coined years prior when they'd met the hound. They'd pulled the old blind man's helper dog routine before, but they could only pull it off so many times. Luckily though he had a wolfish gray color coat Titan looked enough like a German shepherd to be in public.

Titan turned invisible upon them entering the store and Dean grabbed a handheld shopping basket before directing Castiel as to where they were going. Sam had requested at least one type of vegetable and Dean was in too much of a good mood to argue with his younger brother about his distrust of salads and all those who ate them. Dean whistled as he walked down the aisles, scoping out potential meals. Castiel walked close behind until he got to about the third aisle they had been down and he started to feel dizzy. The angels' whole head spun and his vision blurred before he felt like he was about to topple over. Castiel grabbed the metal shelving that held the food, knocking over a few boxes of easy mac as he did so. He blinked when a familiar face appeared in front of him.

"_This is it Cassie boy," _Louis smirked, the beads on his hat clacking against each other. The demon moved closer, leaning on his cane. "_This is your finest hour. Soon you'll be mine for real. Best tell that pretty boy of yours goodbye. You've hid it long enough. Now he must know."_

Castiel could only hear Louis' voice and not Dean's screaming for him as the angel keeled over and begun to fall towards the floor below. Titan ran underneath him and caught him; he used his teeth to lie him down carefully by his shirt just in time for Dean to rush to his side. Castiel had passed out and Dean shook his shoulder trying to rouse him. A few other customers tried to help, but Titan had made himself visible and went so far as to growl at them to stay back.

"Titan," Dean commanded and the hound's ears perked up at his master's voice. "Stand down and get us home."

Titan ceased his growling and his eyes went white before Dean, Castiel, and the hound were transported from the grocery store to the bunker, leaving a gaggle of confused customers in their wake.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"Sammy!" Dean yelled when they landed in the middle of the bunker's living room. Titan panted, his power had been maxed when he'd tried to heal himself and transporting two people besides him was hard work. Dean petted his head as a reward for a job well done and looked over at Sam, fear evident in his eyes as he held Castiel upright.

Sam ran over to his brother and helped carry an unconscious Castiel to his bed. Dean set him down carefully and immediately begun the process of putting pillows under the angel's head and checking to see if he was breathing. Thankfully he was, but a layer of sweat had formed all over his cheeks and forehead. Dean touched them and found them to be burning. Castiel had one hell of a fever. Dean swallowed hard and strode to the bathroom where he wet a washcloth and came back to place it on the angel's forehead. The sudden cold awoke Castiel and he looked up at Dean, panicked.

"You're good Cas," Dean reassured him. "Well you're not good, but you're home. Titan took us home."

_"Rodger that boss," _Titan barked and placed his head on the side of Castiel's bed, peeking at the angel. _"It took all of my energy too."_

"D-Did I—"

"Pass out? Yeah," Dean nodded. "You're burning up man."

"I am an angel Dean," Castiel said in a hoarse voice. "I tend to burn at a much higher temperature than you do."

"Cas that's," Dean sighed. "That's not what I mean."

"Oh."

"I'll be right back ok," Dean replied. "Don't go passing out on me again."

"I'll try Dean." Castiel nodded in response.

Dean forced a smile until he left the room and met Sam in the hallway. His eyes refilled with fear and Sam's with some uncharted emotion. The two brothers both looked inside the room before looking back at one another.

"Angels don't get sick Sam," Dean whispered. "Something's not right here."

"Lemme guess," Sam replied. "You want me on the research train until I find something."

"It'd be awesome."

"You've got it." Sam wasn't one to argue with research when it involved a friend.

Sam took one last look at Castiel before walking off to the library in hopes of finding something, anything at all. Dean let out a deep sigh and composed himself before walking back into Castiel's room and taking a seat in a chair near the angel's bed. Castiel cleared his throat and turned his head towards Dean. His hand was on Titan's head, petting him.

"Hello Dean." Castiel weakly said.

"Hey Cas," Dean forced another smile. "Betcha feel like shit huh?"

"In more ways than one." Castiel replied. He wasn't quite ready for Dean to know the truth yet. He figured his sarcasm would suffice for now.

"Yeah getting sick blows," Dean snickered. "You're gonna be ok though. I'll make sure of that."

"I believe you Dean," Castiel said, before breaking into a small coughing fit. "Trust me it's been many years now. I know when you give your word."

"Well you've got it once again this time," Dean said. "It's soup, Dr. Sexy marathons, and rest for you."

"I look forward to it." Castiel smiled and let his eyes close. Part of Dean wanted Castiel to stay awake, but the less selfish part of him knew the angel needed the sleep so he let him slumber on. Dean fought to keep his eyes open himself after a certain hour and after about two more after that the hunter fell asleep in the chair. This left only one resident in the room still awake, Titan. He lifted his head from the mattress and stared over at Dean who was slumped with his head sideways on his shoulder, asleep. Surely the hunter would wake up the next morning with an impressive neck cramp, but Titan knew better than to ask Dean to leave Castiel's side. Titan was as loyal as Angelhound's came and he understood the bond he and Dean had went far deeper than any man and any dog, but as many years as he had been around the Winchesters he had yet to grasp the concept of Castiel and Dean's relationship. It ran deeper than any friendship, but remained less than anything more. All Titan knew was that Dean would do anything for Castiel and in turn Titan would do anything for his master Dean.

Titan slinked over towards the doorway of Castiel's dimly lit bedroom and turned his head around one last time to look at the two sleeping figures, one in a bed and one in a chair and he let out a deep sigh. A determined look crossed his face moments later.

_"I will find out how he did this," _Titan's words were directed at a sleeping Dean, but he knew Dean wasn't listening in the moment. "_Metatron will pay for hurting this family. He will pay for hurting Castiel. I can promise you that."_

Titan exited the room and ran towards the bunker's door. He got to the outside and his breath made fog in the cool night air. The stars were shining bright and Titan lifted his head to the sky and sniffed the air. He could catch a scent for miles. Once the hound caught a whiff of Metatron he raised his head up and howled loudly into the night before taking off down the dirt road faster than lightning.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**So? Will Castiel's secret ever come to light? Soon my readers, soon.**

**Titan's off to find Metatron? Sam's researching? Who will find answers first?**

**More to come soon**

**(I must say that updates for the next two days are highly unlikely, it's Christmas Eve then Christmas and I'll be spending it with family. So expect more after that.)**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Dean hadn't left Castiel's side since the angel fell in the store. He seemed to have a problem with falling; then again Dean couldn't say he was entirely squeaky clean of that one himself. Dean didn't bring that up though; he didn't even make a joke about it though it had been constantly running through his head punch line and everything. He thought that it would be adding insult to injury after what had happened the past few months to both him and the angel. Dean still had yet to ask Castiel about what had happened when Dean had awoken from his demonic sleep a human. Somehow he knew deep down that Castiel knew something about the affair since he and Titan had been the only other ones around when Sam shook Dean awake and the hound certainly wasn't talking.

"What happened Cas?" Dean finally asked. "No bullshit. Tell me the truth."

"You mean about you?" Castiel replied, rolling his head towards Dean so that he could look at him without moving too much. The nausea was killing him.

"No Cas about the Queen of fricken England," Dean took a sip of the beer he'd been nursing all afternoon. "Yes about me and no bullshit answers."

"You were saved." Castiel said. "It's as simple as that."

"Damn it Cas."

"It's true Dean," Castiel replied, his voice hoarse from coughing. "And before you claim that to be a bullshit answer I'd like you to think about it for a moment. I'm not exactly lying to you; you were saved from becoming something you didn't want to be. I'd say for now that's answer enough."

"You're a cryptic bastard." Dean commented.

"I learned from the best Dean."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam had spent his time locked up in the library wondering when the research would end, but also wondering where Gabriel had gone. He was a bit put off by the archangel's mysterious disappearance, but he chalked it mostly up to Castiel and Dean coming back and not knowing Gabriel wasn't dead. Not that Sam was trying to replace Dean or anything, but he'd found a friend in Gabriel while Dean was down under and now that the archangel was gone again it seemed like another hole had formed though Sam had patched one up already. Sam tried to fill the loneliness with the dusty old volumes of books that were splayed out in front of him, but nothing fulfilled it entirely. Dean hadn't said a word to Sam since Castiel had fallen ill and he'd directed the younger Winchester to research angels and how and if they could possibly get sick and he hadn't left Castiel's side since, leaving Sam alone with his books.

But Sam knew why it was all about Castiel in that moment. He knew the way Dean felt about Castiel so on Sam researched until he feared his eyes were going to fall out of his head.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Titan had ventured through the bad district of South Dakota for three hours before finding some sign that Metatron had crashed there. Even though the scribe was a former angel, Titan could sense his aura radiating throughout the slummy little neighborhood in waves. He sauntered through drunken idiots trying to fight one another near a crummy run down bar that probably sustained most of its cash payments from illegal poker games, made his way past the really messed up houses where one could hear gunshots coming from inside of the houses, and down the long winding street until Metatron's aura became stronger. Titan fit in right in with these people minus the shiny new collar and the angelic wing dog tags he looked like a regular dirty street dog. His half wolf bloodline gave his coat just the right amount of scruff and his eyes were creepy enough in the moonlight that everyone stayed away from him.

Titan stared back at the small little business area that was poorly lit by dying light bulbs radiating orange light through their foggy exteriors. The hound's breaths came out as fog in the chilly night air and the street he was on hadn't been painted or paved in years much less the street lights replaced. They were fluorescent and flickering as he made his way towards the scribe's location. Titan nudged a chain link fence open with his muzzle and stepped inside a small homeless camp behind an abandoned tie factory. There were various fires made in barrels full of paper and other flammable things. There were groups of about five people per barrel, many of which were smoking half done cigarettes they'd relit from the ground and sipping from brown paper bags filled with God only what alcohol. Most of them didn't even seem to notice Titan and the only one who put their eyes on him was an old woman who was completely blind and didn't even know he was there. Titan breathed a sigh of relief and kept on.

Finally when he did find him he made his way over quietly and quickly.

"Let me guess," Metatron spoke up after setting down his can of cold beans and plastic spoon. "You've come to mock me on my new low? Well get lost pal I don't care what you and your buddies think anymore. Not like I can do anything to you anyway."

"_I am not here to mock," _Titan sat down next to Metatron and his flaming trash can. He sat all by himself. _"Nor am I here to fight."_

"I'm afraid my next book won't be out for a long while," Metatron continued his sarcastic remarks. "You'll have to wait in line for an advanced copy of "screw you"."

"_Look," _Titan let out a low growl, his ears going back and flattening then returned to their normal pointed state when Metatron looked at him. "_Castiel's sick. You're the one that sent him to Hell and I can only assume you're the one that made him sick too. I just want to know how to fix it."_

"Oh my dear motley mutt it can't be fixed," Metatron started to laugh. "Always the martyr you are."

_"What do you mean it can't be fixed?" _

"Simple. I didn't do it."

_"Then how do you know it can be fixed?"_

"I know it can be fixed because I've seen it before."

Titan cocked his head as a cold gust of breeze blew by and threatened to put all of the fires out. Titan could almost feel the relief wash through everyone in the area when it didn't.

"When I sent Castiel to Hell," Metatron explained. "That's all I did. I didn't do what caused this sickness that's been there from day one of this wild journey. It's simply gotten worse. I mean haven't you done your homework mutt? You know what Raziel did after all..."

Titan didn't know how he could be so foolish. He'd known all along something was wrong with Castiel and now he knew exactly what. Titan's stomach dropped to his paws and his veins ran cold. He couldn't believe Castiel hadn't told Dean yet, then again it was more a matter of Dean not figuring it out yet. Castiel would take this to his grave before ever muttering a word about it to Dean. Titan started to back away, fixated on Metatron's smirk for awhile before the hound took off into the night hoping to make it back before dawn to Dean to inform him of the truth.

If Castiel wasn't going to do it someone had to.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam had fallen asleep on some unknown page of a giant textbook on angelic lore he'd found deep in the depths of the bunker's library when Dean begun to furiously shake him awake and started yelling his name. The rest of the time Sam had spent coming back into the waking world had been a blur, but he'd understood three words perfectly out of everything.

_Cas_

_ Hospital_

_ Now!_

Sam had woken up quickly after that and had gone with Dean to the angel's room where he'd gotten sick all over his bed and was now unconscious with a raging fever that was way above the normal fever range. It was almost as though Castiel was burning alive. Sam could sense the panic in Dean's eyes and could've sworn he'd heard Dean's heart pounding as loudly as a snare drum. Sam didn't hear much, didn't feel much else other than Dean taking half of Castiel's weight as the two of them carried the feverish angel to the Impala's back seat and laid him down. Dean shut the doors only after placing his jacket around Castiel and hopping like a mad man into the driver's seat. He barely gave him brother enough time to buckle in before Dean took off faster than the speed of light to the nearest hospital not caring what cop dared to pull them over.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**This is just a little update! I hope everyone's holiday is going well. I know I'm drawing out the whole Cas storyline, but you'll get your answer in the next chapter. The suspense that killed you will be fulfilled until it's replaced once again with more suspense. I'm just too evil.**

**More to come soon!**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The nearest hospital was as crowded as they came. Dean paced the floor with such trepidation that Sam feared he'd actually dig a literal hole with his feet. The nurses ran back and forth in front of Sam and Dean, who were patiently waiting near the front desk for answers. They'd tried to help Castiel into the hospital by foot, but the angel had proven to be a little worse for wear more than they'd anticipated in fact. So Sam picked up Castiel and handed him off to a nurse with a gurney who wheeled him into the back and out of sight. Dean hadn't said a word ever since.

Sam had gotten up and gone to get coffee for the two of them. He came back with the crappiest watered down coffee Dean had ever tasted, but the older hunter appreciated the gesture. Sam knew that this was hard for Dean, it was hard for both of them, seeing their friend in such a state and not knowing why. Castiel had been muttering something before he went unconscious in the grocery store and it had completely slipped Dean's mind to ask his friend what he was saying. It hadn't seemed important at the time, but now God only knows what purpose it could've served. Dean's throat went dry when the doctor started to approach him and Sam and his heart begun to race and not just because of the coffee.

"He's in room 206," he explained. "Critical care for the fever, it's unbelievable. It's higher than I've ever seen any man come in here with. Granted I've seen a lot of high fevers though. We've got him on an IV and a breathing machine. It's unlike anything I've ever seen."

"What do you mean doctor?" Sam asked.

"It's almost like his body put itself into a coma," the doctor looked baffled. "I don't know why, but all I know is we're doing everything we can to wake him up and get his fever to go down. We've dealt with weirder things that all I can say so I have high hopes that your friend will pull through."

"Cut the crap," Dean muttered before composing himself. "Just show us to his room."

The doctor was a bit put off by Dean's remark, but he nodded and took them to the room they'd given Castiel. Dean's face went somber as he looked at the angel, lying in bed and unconscious with ashen skin and a layer of sweat on his forehead and flushed cheeks. His breathing mask was small enough that Dean could see most of his face as he walked over towards the other side of the bed. Sam stayed in the doorway and observed Dean sit down in the chair next to Castiel's bed.

"Damn Cas," he said, not knowing whether Castiel could hear him or not, but somehow Dean just didn't care. "They gotcha all wired up don't they? Hell, you could pick up Mexican radio on these things."

Dean let out a small chuckle and Sam smiled a bit at his brother's joke. Castiel's machine breathed for him.

"I'm gonna get you out of here buddy," Dean looked down at a comatose Castiel and his smile faded, concern filled his eyes again. "Don't you worry your head about it, me and Sammy we're gonna make sure you get better ok?"

Dean sat in silence after that for a bit. Sam eventually got out of the doorway when the nurse came to bring Castiel water and the younger Winchester leaned against the wall next to the room. He closed his eyes a moment and let out a deep sigh.

"I came as soon as I caught wind of it," Sam opened his eyes and looked to his left to see Gabriel with his hands in his pockets. Gabriel sighed. "Damn it Cas..."

"What do you mean damn it Cas?" Sam asked, not even wanting to bring up the subject of why the archangel had abruptly disappeared without so much as a goodbye. "It's not like he meant to get sick."

Gabriel sighed again and walked closer to Sam, looking over his shoulders to see if there were any prying ears before talking.

"I'm surprised it took me as long as it did to notice what was happening to my brother," Gabriel explained. "But I've seen this before and trust me it's not pretty."

Dean had chosen that moment to exit the room to look for Sam and when the older Winchester spotted his younger brother chatting with the formally dead Gabriel his face contorted with anger and he stormed over to him.

"You," Dean pushed Gabriel up against the wall. "You know what's up with Cas? What did you do this to him? Is this one of your sick jokes?"

Dean was about ready to murder Gabriel where he stood, but Sam pushed his brother away.

"Dean," Sam exclaimed. "That's enough."

"Oh really Sammy," Dean glared at his brother. "You're siding with this douche? For all we know he poisoned Cas."

"Hey," Gabriel glared right back, advancing on Dean and stopping right in front of the hunter and even though he was short, Gabriel had managed in that moment to instill the fear of God in Dean. "Don't you ever, ever accuse me of hurting my baby brother! I love him. I would never ever hurt him. So don't go accusing me or your finger isn't the only thing that's going to be shoved up that ass of yours. Kapeesh?"

Dean swallowed hard, but didn't let Gabriel know he'd intimidated him.

"You told Sam you knew what happened to Cas." Dean said in a quieter voice.

"As I was saying before your pit bull attacked me Sam," Gabriel cleared his throat. "I've seen this before when I was a fledgling I remember the adult angels, namely Luci and Mikey, talking about it. See there was this angel Raziel. He was a real stand up guy from what I heard, but lemme tell yah he didn't sit well with the other angels."

"Why's that?" Sam inquired.

"You remember when my Dad told all of us to bow down to humans," Gabriel said. "Well Raziel did that, but he did so much more than that too. He fell in love with one."

Dean's gaze changed to one of shock. Sam swallowed hard and waited for the rest.

"So Raziel got with her," Gabriel gesticulated with his hands. "The whole deal, whole shebang. But then the demons came for him. Daddy's punishment I guess. Well one of the demons drove a big ol' knife right through his love's chest. She died in his arms. Well Raziel wanted her back, so he made a deal. His grace for her human soul to return to her. The demon he gave it to well I don't know his name, but all I know is he had this hat. A hat with beads on it that sounded like bones clacking when he walked."

Dean almost fell over, his nerves had hit so bad. He'd seen that demon in his dreams. It was the one that had grabbed the hawk by its neck and it had turned into Castiel after. He cursed himself for not listening to his subconscious.

"It turned out peachy for awhile," Gabriel continued. "His true love was alive and he was happy to have her back, but he got very sick. Sick like Castiel. He went to our medicine angel for help. Turns out his little deal came with a price."

"What sort of price?" Dean was very worried now.

"A burning fever," Gabriel said. "A coma inducing sickness. Either way the asshole demon got his grace, his soul essentially, but the demon wanted to have a little fun. He'd told Raziel when he'd sold him his grace that if he didn't survive the sickness he'd simply have the self satisfaction of killing an angel, but if he did...if he did he got one month. Raziel didn't know what that meant at the time, but he didn't care. He just wanted his love back so he accepted. It turns out that one month meant, one month til' the poor bastard was human. Being human came with a big price as well."

"What was that price?" Sam asked.

"Hell if I know," Gabriel shrugged. "But I can tell you that Cassie probably does."

"Damn it Cas," Dean cursed. "Why would he do this?"

"Did I not just go through a whole story over here," Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Seriously Dean-O pay attention. If the shoe fits, I guess Cas tried it on."

"God," Sam looked over at Dean. "I remember Cas telling me that he was going to "take care of it" when you were unconscious as a Knight of Hell."

Dean's stomach dropped to his feet. He ran back into Castiel's room and by his bedside. He leaned on the bed and over Castiel.

"Damn it Cas," Dean exclaimed, he didn't realize he was yelling. "You're so stupid, you're so damn stupid you know that? Damn it all to Hell Cas! You could die do you hear me? Die!"

"Sir," a nurse looked into the room. "He cannot hear you and if you could please refrain from yelling that'd be appreciated. Some of our other patients are trying to sleep. Thank you."

"Sorry..." Dean said, defeated and not really meaning it. The nurse gave a curt nod and moved on. Dean got up from his position over Castiel and ran a hand through his hair, facing away from the angel. Dean wanted to berate him. He wanted to scream at Castiel until his eardrums bled. He wished he could just grab Castiel by the shoulders and shake him until his bones rattled like the beads on the demon's top hat. Hell, if Dean ever found that demon he'd kill him. He'd kill every one of his kind a thousand times over if it helped get Castiel out of this. Dean looked back at the angel.

Gabriel had said Raziel had done what he did because he loved the human who'd died.

"_If the shoe fits...I guess Cas tried it on."_

No...there was no way. There was no way that Cas...

Dean shook his head, he didn't know what to think. He simply took a seat near his bed again and Sam and Gabriel joined him moments later.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Castiel was wandering through the tendrils of his subconscious. There was mist and fog that swirled up around him and almost seemed like it danced. Castiel could feel his wings burning in his back and his entire body screamed with pain every step he took. He thought he'd escaped that agony the second he lost consciousness, but apparently not. His chest felt heavy and his eyelids too as though he wasn't getting enough air, yet he was getting plenty being hooked up a breathing machine. He heard a laugh and his blood turned to ice.

"_They don't know do they? The consequences of our little deal?"_

Louis the demon was in his mind somewhere. Castiel was praying the demon wouldn't show his face lest Castiel kill him. The angel looked around at the smoke that had begun to take shape. It was the shape of a rather scary smoky face.

"They know what Gabriel has told them."

_"You remember the other half though do you not? If you do survive this?"_

"You mean when I survive this." Castiel glared.

"_You're determined. I like that. But lest you forget Castiel that it was the same stubbornness you have now that got you into this little mess. You made a choice and now you have to live or die with it."_

Castiel swallowed hard. It was true. This had been his choice, but he couldn't have just let Dean die? Dean meant so much to him. He did what any person would do for someone they...cared about. That word, it was too powerful and Castiel knew Dean would never utter it to him no matter how much the angel wanted him to and no matter how much Castiel wanted to scream it to Dean. He couldn't. Even in the face of death he was fearful of doing it. He had always feared cowardice would kill him one of these days.

But what Castiel knew was going to kill him the worst was the other part of the deal. After one month he'd forget everything about his angelic life and everyone that had been in it and bearing that untold secret inside of him, well that hurt worst of all.

**Reviews are welcome!**

**Well there yah have it folks. Castiel's secret is out. Well, part of it anyway.**

**But will he survive this? If he does will Dean find out the other half of it?**

**More to come soon**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Dean couldn't form a single coherent thought as he sat on the hood of the Impala drinking another beer. Not because he was drunk, because he wasn't, but because his mind was spiraling one thousand tiny little thoughts and fears all at once. He was trying to think positively, but there was nothing to think about other than Castiel lying there in that hospital bed tied up to all those wires and tubes and a breathing machine of all things. Dean stared at his empty beer bottle and suddenly whipped it at a nearby tree and it shattered. He heard a small whine from behind him before his most favorite fuzzy companion sat down beside his car.

"_I tried to get here," _Titan apologized. "_But I took too long."_

"You act like this is your fault." Dean replied, taking another beer from the six pack case and opening it.

"_Well so do you."_

"It is my fault." Dean took another drink.

_"Pray tell," _Titan scratched his ear. "_Why is all of this your fault?"_

"Cas sold his grace for me," Dean explained. "His pain, this suffering he's feeling right now it's because of me."

_"That may be true," _Dean stared at the hound and he whined again, flattening his ears a little and regretting his choice of words. "_But you ever stop and think that maybe this was a personal choice for Cas?"_

Dean stayed silent.

_"You've chosen to ignore the poetic justice in this but I sure as Hell haven't," _Titan's outburst caught Dean off guard and he stared at the hound. "_Castiel has given everything for you over the years that I have been observing you guys from Heaven and then from your living room rug. Whether you two want to keep dancing around like awestruck idiots or you wanna do something about each other is completely up to you, but all I know is that Dean things like this they don't come along all that often. I would know. I've lost something like that and I did it by making the wrong choice. Now I can't have that other right choice ever again."_

"You and?" Dean inquired.

"_Nobody you know," _Titan replied. "_Point is Dean; I'm begging you for the love of my Father. Don't be me."_

A few moments of silence passed before either party spoke. Titan kept his watchful eyes forward and Dean stared off aimlessly into the distance. He was taking Titan's words in and trying to process them. He hadn't much luck in processing much of anything for the last few hours. Castiel was caught somewhere between life and death and Dean still couldn't make up his damn mind. Even Titan saw it. When the dog knew, he knew it had to be more. Didn't it?

"_Sam's bringing home pizza from a local place on main street," _Dean turned his attention back to Titan, who had gotten up and started padding away towards the bunker. "_He wants you to eat something."_

"I'll be inside in a minute." Dean finished his final beer and looked at the dashboard clock on the Impala. It read 6pm. Visitors hours were until 11pm and Dean fully intended to be there that night. The radio in the Impala was playing some unknown college station nearby with peaceful music.

"_What happened to the classic channel," _Titan asked. "_I thought you always liked classic rock?"_

"I just thought I'd switch it up for once." Dean replied and it was almost as though the hound smirked before he ran off inside the bunker.

_"Finally." _

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"Yeah we just finished up dinner actually," Sam spoke into the phone with Jody after clearing the dishes away from the table and watching Dean retreat to his room once again and Titan to his favorite spot on the living room rug. Dean started playing music loudly and Titan let out a big yawn before curling up into a ball and resting his head on his front paws. "I take it this isn't really a social call though sheriff?"

_"Not a hunt either," _Jody replied as she drove along with Alex shotgun in his cruiser. The teenager was eating cheese popcorn and Jody was keeping a close eye on her so that she wouldn't rub the orange gunk all over her upholstery. "_I was just wondering what the 411 was."_

"Things are," Sam sighed. "Things are certainly going ways I hadn't expected."

"_Is that Genesis I hear playing in the background?" _

"Dean's on some new music kick."

"_Something must've happened then," _Jody replied. "_It's not like Dean to give up his classic rock."_

"Cas is in the hospital Jody..." Sam interrupted and there was a pregnant pause in the receiver.

"_Oh," _Jody's realization hit hard. "_Do you need me to-?"_

"No," Sam said. "I think we'll be fine. Dean's probably headed there now. He's gonna spend every waking moment there from what I can see until Cas wakes up."

Sam lowered his voice.

"If he wakes up."

_"Well from what I can remember you Winchesters don't take too well to ifs," _Jody said. "_I'm sure Dean will do something heroically stupid to get him back to him. I know I've wanted to. God knows I understand what it's like to miss someone that much."_

"He won't talk to me," Sam sighed. "Not since he came back. I mean we're talking, but we haven't really...talked."

_"Just give it time Sam," _Jody smiled and though Sam couldn't see her he almost felt it. "_Wait til' Cas is up and about and then you'll finally have that brotherly moment you two so need. Alex I swear if you rub cheese popcorn dust on my seat I will murder you and leave no evidence. Sam I gotta go, talk to you when I can next."_

"Bye Jody." Sam let out a little chuckle and hung up on the cop. Sam walked over to the couch and sat down. He reached behind the Angelhound below him and scratched the top of his head. Titan's tail started to wag and the hound leaned into Sam's touch. Sam smiled when Titan rolled onto his side, legs up like a regular dog, and motioned for Sam to rub his tummy.

"Sometimes I feel like you're the only thing keeping me sane pal."

_"Happy to be of service Sam." _Titan's foot kicked when Sam petted the more wiry hairs on his belly. A whoosh of wings was heard a second later and Sam looked up to see a face he never thought he'd ever see again.

"Hey kiddo," Gabriel's voice was low, quiet; it was almost like he'd lost all sense of his childlike personality. "Can we talk?"

"Um sure," Sam started to stand, but then Gabriel whisked them away in a flash within his wings and they were standing in the local park in Lebanon with the night sky's stars twinkling above them.

"Not there," Gabriel sighed and after the leaves settled from their recent landing he sat down on a nearby park bench and started to stare up at the stars. Sam was a bit confused at first, but he joined the archangel on the left side of the bench and looked up himself. "I'm sorry but Dean's melodrama would eat me alive."

"He's mourning a friend Gabriel." Sam gave the archangel a look, almost offended at his comment.

"Oh he acts like the poor bastard is already dead," Gabriel exclaimed. "Why is it every time one of you two bites the bullet you don't just sit around? You wanna know why? Because you start finding a way! You don't ever give up."

"So you're saying Dean is giving up on Cas?" Sam said in an accusatory fashion.

"I'm not saying that at all," Gabriel protested, finally sighing again in defeat at the look on Sam's face. "Do you know why I chose to help you Sam Winchester? Out of all of the thousands of humans in this puny town, in this big wide world, do you know why I chose you?"

"I've honestly been trying to figure that out from the beginning." Sam settled back into the back of the slightly cold bench.

"I like you Sam," Gabriel explained. "Something about you struck a chord in my mind. I dunno what exactly."

"Was it my rugged good looks?" Sam said with a chuckle.

"Don't push it Winchester," Gabriel replied then begun to explain his point. "Anyway, I like you therefore I chose to fight for you. Because if you don't recall the last time Dean pseudo died and fell into Hell with little ol' Cassie you were about ready to give up. Hell if I hadn't stepped in you would have. You would have given up any and all hope of ever having your brother back and now you do have him back and you're allowing him to isolate himself from you when he by far needs you the most."

"He won't talk to me." Now it was Sam's turn to sigh.

"So talk to him," Gabriel said. "Look kiddo I know what it's like being the little brother, but I also know what it's like being the big brother and sometimes you have to play both roles whether you like it or not. Right now Dean needs you to be the big brother for him. He needs you to light a fire under his ass and to not give up hope about Cas. Because whatever the outcome may be right now that can always change."

"When did you get so good at pep talks?" Sam asked. "Is this another one of your tricks?"

"Oh there's a lesson to be learned here Sam," Gabriel waved his finger. "But no tricks. This time it's just plain and simple. Talk to Dean. Be there for him. But do not, I repeat do not let him drive into a ditch. Do not let him drink himself into oblivion, do not let him have nightmares without waking him up from them and do not above all let him feel alone in this."

"Guess y'all know a lot about being alone." Sam regretted the words the second they came out of his mouth and he waited for the full wrath of the trickster to fall down upon him, repeating Tuesdays all over again and all that, but nothing came.

"We all raised each other," Gabriel explained. "The archangels were created directly by God, but the other angels. They had parents. Many of which died early on before they were able to see their children grow up and become adult angels. Castiel's mother was among them. She died one month after he was born and I had to raise the little tyke."

"I'll bet he was an angel," Sam chuckled. "No pun intended."

"The day he was born lightning crashed, drums sounded," Gabriel broke into a half smile. "All of Heaven rejoiced that another motherless fledgling had survived. He was the sweetest fledgling ever. He had like angelic colic something awful, but I remedied that by his second year. I taught him everything I knew. Everything Lucifer had taught me..."

Sam cleared his throat when the silence hit.

"You see now why Dean can't lose hope in Castiel," Gabriel inquired. "Because I can't lose my brother Sam. Not another one."

Gabriel was silent after that, Sam too, but Sam understood every other silent word that Gabriel ever could've said to the man through his very gaze. Sam had to take charge and fulfill the lesson that was to be learned here. Because if all hope was lost well they didn't have very much left did they?

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**A/N: Woah alright typing a chapter still slightly hung over from last night is fun! Haha I hope you all had a fabulous new year and that this upcoming year will be amazing for each and every last one of you! I had to get another update in, I have exactly six days before I get my wisdom teeth removed and I'm trying my hardest to get you all as many updates as possible before I'm down and out for a bit. This story is nearing its close in quite a few more chapters. I have the ending already planned and I hope I don't do too much damage to your fragile hearts in the meantime. **

**Did anyone catch the subtle sexuality hint at the end of Dean's and Titan's conversation? I know I did ;D **

**Well as Jody said that's the 411 and I'll see you all next chapter!**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Castiel ran. Or rather in his mind he ran. He wished he could run in real life, run far away from all the pain and the damage he was sure he'd caused to his little earthly family. Dean in particular, Castiel suspected the hunter already knew of the deed that had been done. But there was nothing the angel could do now, nothing but run some more. He tried to escape Louis' voice that echoed through the darkened caverns of his mind and the fog that shrouded most of it. It felt like poison air every time Castiel pushed through it and he felt as though he was choking. His brain was slowly dying. He could feel his life dying away. But he was still here; he was wandering around in the sess pool of mist, blackened rivers of thoughts and one thundering voice that refused to leave him alone.

Castiel would fight this.

He couldn't just give up when the most valuable things in his life were waiting on him.

He couldn't let them fade away. He couldn't fade away.

Not today.

The angel jumped across a dark inky black river that suddenly grew a hand as he leapt and grabbed him by the ankle. It held on tight and Castiel tumbled to the ground unceremoniously and grunted. He tugged and tried to free his foot from the river's confines and eventually one swift kick caused the river to shriek like a human and release him. It shrunk onto itself and became a river again. Castiel shook his head like he was dreaming and then remembered he truly was before metaphorically tucking tail and continuing to run. He then waved his arms through the poisonous and hefty fog, coughing and his eyes watering so hard they reddened. His skin and lungs burned and he choked on his own breaths. He fell to his knees and only looked up when the fog dissipated and he saw what he'd hoped he wouldn't.

Dean looked down at the angel with disdain and cocked his head ever so slightly. The hunter's hair was a bit messy like he'd just woken up, but his clothes were worn and wrinkled. His jacket was sprayed with deeply embedded blood stains. His jeans were ripped along the kneecaps and his boots were muddy and bloody all the same. His sleeves were rolled up and the Mark of Cain still engraved onto his upper arm skin. In his hand he held a knife and with his other he ran a hand through his own hair before looking back over at Castiel who had managed to stand up.

"They say you're in a coma." Dean's voice was hauntingly eerie.

Castiel couldn't utter a single word as Dean made his way over to him. The hunter stood mere inches from him and smirked before his eyes went as black as the river and his smile grew evil. His knife turned into the First Blade too.

"I say goodnight angel."

Dean thrust his blade towards Castiel and in the time that Castiel could blink he felt a rush of cold air overtake him and Dean's black eyes were gone. Instead he was bleeding from his mouth and gasping for breath as he held his chest where the Blade had gone through and was attached to Castiel's hand. Dean wheezed and his eyes started to run out of life as he stared up helplessly at Castiel. But that wasn't even the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that out of all the miserable, shitty, messed up feelings Castiel should've been feeling he found he felt none of them. He felt relief, almost. That was the worst part, the part that scared him most of all.

Dean fell. He fell to the blackened ground and disappeared like a mirage, fear evident in his eyes throughout the entire process and Castiel gasped and backed up, dropping the Blade once it had been done. The Blade disappeared too as did the blood on Castiel's hand, but the angel couldn't help but still feel it oozing between the cracks of his hands and his fingers. He could feel it harden under his fingernails like it was refusing to leave him. Castiel started to back up until he ran into another human's back. Once again he spun around to face Dean, but the hunter wasn't alone.

A black eyed Sam appeared beside him on his left and smirked as evilly as Dean did. Gabriel was Dean's right which Castiel didn't understand. His brother had been dead for years with an exception of Metatron's little lesson, which he could only assume at this point had resurrected him. Gabriel stood head downcast then it moved up, but his wings were the most depressing part of him. They were black like Castiel's and charred and some of the bones were visible. He held a bloodied angel blade in his right hand and stared at Castiel like he was a target. Then a frightening growl came from behind Castiel. He spun around again to see Titan with his teeth bared menacingly, his gray fur as black as Gabriel's wings, and his eyes red instead of their normal yellow. Blood dripped from his jaw and down his muzzle. The Angelhound advanced on Castiel along with the others, their weapons drawn. Castiel was ridden with fear and he begun to run again. His legs ached from all of the sprinting from place to place, but it was a small price to pay from giving in to death.

He saw fire. That was below him as he toppled over the nearby hill away from his new "fan club". Dean, Sam, Gabriel, and Hellhound looking Titan stopped at the edge of the hill upon seeing the flames and Titan let out a spine chilling howl. Castiel grunted as he tumbled towards the blaze below. His back hit it first and he rolled all the way through to the other side of cool ground. The angel screamed. His wings were burning. The flames spread higher and higher on his back and after the smell of burning feathers and flesh assaulted his nostrils he looked up and saw nothing but ghostly white bone that disintegrated before his eyes. His wings were gone. They were gone like a phantom in the wind and Castiel felt another scream pierce through his throat and into the air.

Castiel clenched his stomach. The pain was too intense and it was overtaking him in waves of nausea and extreme cramping and burning. Castiel vomited, turning his head away from the heat and the occupied hill. Somehow he still didn't want his family to see him in such a state. Castiel's shoulder shook and the trench coat stuck to his back in sticky bloody and sweaty mess. Two holes were burned into his back and showed no signs of fast healing. Castiel fell onto his side and whimpered as he heard the echoing laughter of his evil laden family on the hillside and Titan's hellish barking. Castiel's eyes closed and he did the only thing he could think to do. Pray.

"Father," Castiel wheezed out. "Please. I know I don't deserve this. I don't deserve anything from you anymore. But Dean does. Sam does. Hell Gabriel and Titan do too. Your power is great, but you have said that love is the strongest and greatest of all. So I'm asking you now please, let me live. Not for me, but for them and for him. Please Father."

Then, Castiel passed out.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean and Sam both sat on the Impala's bumper sipping beer this time. The radio was playing the unknown radio station again softly and not a single word had been spoken yet. Sam wanted to say something, but he didn't want to seem like he was pissed at Dean and Dean wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. They were caught in that awkward part of before a conversation where they both figured it was safer to sip their beers and say nothing rather than say anything at all. Finally Sam spoke.

"Dean we gotta talk about Hell." Sam stated.

"Gee," Dean replied, reaching for another beer. "That sentence sounds familiar."

"I mean it Dean." Sam gave him a look. "We have to or else we'll never move past this."

"Jesus Sammy what is there to move past huh?" Dean started to raise his voice. It was more of a defense mechanism than him being angry. He wanted more than anything to get out of this conversation.

"You left Dean," Sam exclaimed. "You left me alone again! You said this time it would be different! You said we were done lying a-and leaving and—"

"Oh quit your whining," Dean's gruffer voice came out, he clenched his teeth, he was starting to get angry now. "You sound like an unsatisfied housewife!"

"Why should I Dean," Sam was yelling now, he'd also hopped off the hood of the Impala and stood before his brother, empty beer bottle in hand. "Why should I not be mad about what you did?! Give me one good reason I shouldn't huh? C'mon gimmie one! Cuz the last time I checked you were just as mad at me when I took that dive!"

"Now you're being a drama queen." Dean scoffed.

"I'm being a drama queen?" Sam laughed, truly hurt by Dean's comment. "Gee thanks Dean I'm sure it's over nothing much too. Like you being gone for months then suddenly showing up at the bunker door like it's nothing? Like you diving back into Hell in the first place? I'm definitely not angry Dean! I totally didn't have a fricken mental breakdown when you left, I also didn't try every God damn day to get you back, and I certainly didn't drive your precious car into a ditch while I was busy wracking my mind for ways to get you back when I was pretty damn sure myself that you didn't even want to come back!"

With that, Sam gave a kick to Dean's front bumper and that got the elder Winchester up from the car almost immediately. White hot rage was contained behind his eyes.

"Hey! Nobody kicks the car!" Dean exclaimed angrily. He practically growled as he stared knives into Sam's eyes.

"Oh sure Dean you care more about that car than me too I'm sure," Sam was letting it all out now, he wasn't holding back anymore. "Just like you care more about Cas too! It's always been about Cas hasn't it? From the day you met him it has. "Oh Sammy will be fine." That's your motto isn't it? Don't worry about my little brother who might actually give a damn about me? No he'll be fine without me! Is this what it comes down to Dean? Is this what you call a family? Because this isn't what I call a family, this is what dad called one? Leaving for a long time and then just when there was a tendril of hope that he actually cared he tore it away!"

Sam breathed heavily and white hot rage filled him. He threw his bottle and it clipped Dean in the side of his head before smashing into a million pieces onto the wall behind them.

"Screw you Dean," Sam breathed out and his arms fell to his sides. Dean held his head and Sam tried not to cry. God knows he wanted to. "Screw you..."

Dean felt a throbbing in his cheek and just beside his eye socket and he hoped to God he wasn't bleeding on the inside. Sam sure had clocked that bottle at him. He steadied himself and looked at his younger brother. Sam had failed at letting the tears stay locked up. They rained down his face like water on a windshield and Dean felt his heart ache a bit. He stared at the younger Winchester and saw not the man he had become, but the little boy inside that cried out for love. Dean had raised him and he knew that look very well. It was the same mask Sam would wear every single time their dad left. Dean's epiphany fell upon him and he realized he'd become exactly what he'd feared he'd become over the years. His father.

His father was the exact reason Dean had never settled down or had children of his own besides the hunting life. He couldn't imagine screwing up another life much less his own and Sam's. He'd screwed up Sam's so much without realizing it and he felt a single demon of regret was growing inside of him. He wanted to reach out and hug Sam, but he resisted. He needed to heal for one more night. They both did before they really talked. Dean was afraid anything he tried to say now would damage Sam's fragile state even further.

"I'm going to the hospital," Dean calmly explained, walking towards his car. "Tomorrow we're talking. I don't care if we have to hold hands and sing Kumbaya or walk down the lane picking daises and still pretending everything is okay. I don't care what we do. I don't care where we go. But we're talking. But tonight you need sleep and I need clarity."

Dean got into the driver's seat and started up the Impala.

"I'll see you then." Dean said before shutting the door and pulling away and down the road. Sam stared at the back bumper the whole time before it disappeared from view. Sam sighed and went inside, feeling nothing more than this comatose calm and hearing his heartbeat in his ears.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**So? Trouble in paradise for the boys? Or are they good? **

**Will Castiel's subconscious give anyone else nightmares or just me?**

**More to come as soon as I can coherently function. I wanted to give y'all something before I go on my break due to losing some of my wisdom (teeth, lol). Hopefully I won't lose my creativity too. Just kidding.**

**Until then!**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

When Castiel woke up his back ached something awful and his feet felt like they were going to fall off of his body. He felt pains in places he didn't even think were possible and he felt this overwhelming sensation that someone was watching him. Or more than one "someone", his suspicions were confirmed when he finally opened his eyes and saw a pair of nicely polished shoes near his face and he jumped up in response. Searing white hot pain shot up through his back after his actions and Castiel reached for the small of his back in hopes that he could somehow sate it.

"Bloody hurts doesn't it?" a familiar voice said and Castiel looked over at the figure who had been watching him pseudo sleep. Castiel was shocked at who he did see.

"Balthazar," Castiel breathed out in shock. His best friend, besides the Winchesters, stood before him wearing the same clothing he'd died in. He looked slightly older, but he smiled just the same. The only major difference Castiel could see, one that brought a sickening feeling into the angel's stomach, was a rusty red stain and hole in Balthazar's chest.

"You were expecting someone else I presume?" Balthazar replied.

"No," Castiel answered. "I just wasn't expecting you particularly. Is this going to be everyone who's ever haunted me showing up?"

"I see you picked up a level of sarcasm from your time with the Winchesters," Balthazar chuckled and came closer. His movements were fluid like he was a phantom. "I always knew they were good for something after all."

"Are you dead?" Castiel asked, his breath hitching in his throat. After what he'd just gone through, he half expected Balthazar to try to kill him too.

"Well yes," Balthazar examined his hand then sent a look back to Castiel. "You were there. I distinctly remember it being your hand my blood was spilled on. But needless to say I'm happy that your mind is no longer plagued by those horrid Leviathans. I'm assuming you sent exploding Dick back to Purgatory?"

"How did you-?"

"I know things Castiel," Balthazar replied. "Besides you don't spend hours in someone's mind without doing a little poking around. In their memories, desires, etc."

"That is a bit rude isn't it?" Castiel gave him an incredulous look.

"What else is there to do?" Balthazar asked. "You put me here, so obviously you still care enough to want to talk to me so here I am? This is no "Carolina in My Mind" rendition. Say nice things about me while I'm gone? Obviously you want to talk to me."

"That," Castiel paused, the pain overtaking him again. He took a sharp intake of breath and then continued. "Is a reference to a very popular James Taylor song and yes I suppose I have wanted to talk to you? I've wanted to apologize."

"Walk with me," Balthazar motioned for Castiel to follow him. They passed out of the area with the charred ground and the dead emotions and into a hazy area. One in between gray areas. "You say you've wanted to talk to me. Go on, say your peace. While I show you my favorite part of this place so far."

"Balthazar," Castiel climbed over the rocks that were seemingly strategically placed so that he would trip, but he didn't. "I'm sorry I did what I did. I wasn't thinking. I wasn't myself back then. I was so consumed with doing the right thing that I wasn't going to let anything else stand in the way. Anything I thought wasn't right had to be eliminated."

"Namely me," Balthazar replied. "Thank you Captain Cliché for that list of reasons why stabbing your best friend is justified. You know I had to try and kick you off of your high horse while I had the chance? I foresaw nothing, but your pain if you'd continued to do what you were doing with Crowley and look how my warning worked out."

"With you dead," Castiel sighed. "And with the Leviathans wreaking havoc all across earth. I'm sorry my friend."

"Oh will you stop that," Balthazar rolled his eyes and pushed through some brush that was clinging to a dirt wall nearby. "Your apology is accepted. Besides I think we have much more important things to talk about."

"Like your favorite part of wherever it is that we are?" Castiel asked. He was a bit confused by all this traveling from where they'd come from and how the scenery had changed so rapidly.

"We're in your mind Castiel," Balthazar explained, holding a branch up from the underbrush. "Each section is separated by some obstacle or passageway. Every human mind looks like this, although some are darker. Some are happier. Some are dead without anything going on in them. Yours is headed towards that state unfortunately."

"You've heard of my deal then." Castiel sighed again.

"Louis is a bastard," Balthazar said. "I've come across him a few times in New Orleans where he likes to hang out while he's on earth. He fits right in down there. Anyway yes I heard of your deal, but trust me. I know why you did it."

Balthazar's shoulders tensed a bit, and then went down when Castiel saw his play with a ring on his left hand finger. It was a silver star with a faded green orb in the center. Even though the power was long dead, Castiel could sense it as being an angel's grace. He couldn't make out exactly whose grace it was though, but the angel who had made the ring had to have some great power.

"If you really must know," Balthazar interrupted Castiel's thoughts and continued leading the angel along until they reached a seemingly dead end. "Yes I loved him. A lot. You can scour my brain just as we are doing yours if you really want to know who he was, but I have a feeling by the hints from the ring you already have it figured out."

Realization hit Castiel like a train off its rails. No wonder Balthazar had never mentioned being with anyone.

"Point is," Balthazar motioned to the wall and pushed Castiel towards it. "We all have desires. We all have this part of our mind and whether we like it or we don't such desires are never going away. Yours; however, was the most fascinating one I've seen in millennia."

"Why is that?" Castiel was genuinely curious, but at the same time he knew what Balthazar had seen and he was nervous as ever to be judged on it.

"Because you do not wish for revenge," Balthazar touched the wall and it started to dissolve. It changed before Castiel's eyes to the bunker. It was a warm summer evening probably around dinner time and the sun had just started to go down, casting beautiful reds, oranges, and purples into the sky. Castiel saw familiar things. He saw the Impala sparkling and looking good as new. She sat on four newly changed tires and had been recently cleaned. Under a tree sat Sam, reading a rather large book. Gabriel was sitting next to him and laughing at whatever he had just said. Dean was there too. He was near the door where the railing was. He had a dog toy in his hand and was shaking it like a mad man. Titan was in front of him a bowing stance as Dean tossed the toy through the air and the hound went after it. Titan leapt up into the air and caught the toy in his muzzle before running back so that Dean could throw it a second time. After he did and Titan took off Castiel saw something else that shocked him most of all. Another version of him approached Dean from behind and Dean turned around and smiled this smile. Castiel didn't know why, but there was something special about it. It wasn't the smile he gave the waitress at the diner, it wasn't the smile he gave Sam when he was feeling low, and it certainly wasn't the smile he gave his friends.

"You do not wish to be younger or older," Balthazar finished explaining. As he did Castiel saw Dean throw his arm around the other Castiel and the other one smiled and the two of them watched Titan running about. "You do not wish for money, or power, or sex, or even infinite time as so many others in this world have. You simply wish to be happy."

Titan tossed the toy around, catching it himself a few times and both Dean and the other Castiel threw their heads back in laughter.

"And for those around you to be happy as well."

The desire changed at a touch of Balthazar's hand to the wall and Castiel felt another rush of emotions. He stared at the scene before him and cocked his head ever so slightly. This time it was flashes of the times he'd spent with Dean. All of the moments over the years collected before him like a storybook and he was tempted to reach out and grasp onto them like somehow they'd be gone after this. One final one showed up, one that had yet to happen, but it was something that Castiel had always wanted.

It was him and Dean in a dimly lit restaurant and both of their plates were filled to the brim with French fries and half eaten burgers. There were a few discarded napkins strewn all over the table and some of which were drawn on already. Castiel saw a pen in his hand and on the napkin below him and when he showed whatever he had drawn on it to Dean they both burst into belly laughter. The kind that causes tears in one's eyes and one's ribs to hurt so badly it felt like they ran a marathon. Dean was still laughing a little even after Castiel stopped and the waitress came with their check. Dean waved thanks at her and paid for the meal, placing the check and cash down onto the plaid tablecloth. The other Castiel took a bite into his burger and chewed with his eyes closed, savoring the flavor. Castiel caught Dean looking at the other him with a slight twinkle in his eye and this small smile that vaguely imitated an intoxicated young man. Once the other Castiel put down his food and stared back he broke into a smile too.

"This is what you want," Balthazar said. "This is what you've wanted for awhile. Happiness. For you and Gabriel and for Sam and for that hound of mine that I gave Dean, Father willing he's taking care of him, and most importantly for Dean."

"It can't happen," Castiel touched the wall and the perfect image of both him and Dean smiling at one another faded away. Castiel closed his fist as though he could catch it, but he didn't. "Not after what I've done."

"Why not?" Balthazar exclaimed, loudly enough so that Castiel turned around. "Why can't it happen? This is what you've wanted for a long time now and you think just because you've messed up again doesn't mean you can't ever have this? You know how you feel about it, about him."

"Though you bring up points that most would call valid, there is one thing about desire Balthazar," Castiel refused to look at his brother, but instead used his mind to communicate. Castiel closed his eyes and Balthazar felt himself slowly fading away too. He looked at his younger brother in shock. "Not everyone shares the same desires that you do. Now please, leave me alone."

Balthazar faded away to nothingness and Castiel was left alone at the end of a dead end hallway.

"_Fine," _his brother's voice echoed. "_If you won't do it for me. Then do it for you. Use it as a will to live. I'm not going to let you sit here and let Louis win. Dean wouldn't want you to let him win. Sam wouldn't. Gabriel wouldn't and Titan wouldn't either."_

Castiel touched the dead end wall again and the image he'd previously lost reappeared before him. Dean's smile. His own laughter. If Balthazar wasn't right about the first thing, he was right about the second. He had to get back to this, no matter what it took.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Dean led Sam into the diner that he and Castiel had gone to when they had come back top side from Hell. It was a bit out of the way, but Dean wanted some space between him, Sam, and a comatose Castiel. Since that had been the majority of his and Sam's argument a few hours before. The door dinged and Jack, the owner greeted Dean for a second time. Dean was surprised he had remembered him.

"You don't forget someone who came in here bleeding, leg broken, and still left a big tip."

Dean had chuckled in response to Jack's answer.

"So this is the second time you've come in here in a few weeks," Jack put down the menus for the boys to look at. "This your second hot date?"

Sam sputtered and Dean looked about ready to choke.

"We're brothers." Sam chuckled nervously and motioned for Dean to deny Jack's accusations.

"Yeah," Dean's brain kicked in again. It had been a long time since anyone had assumed Sam and Dean were together. He wasn't used to defending it. "This is my little brother Sammy. Now Sammy this time you are not ordering one of those rabbit food salads you normally do. Jack here makes the best burgers in town and you are having one of those. One for me too Jack."

"Sure thing Dean," Jack nodded and took their menus back. "Coming up soon."

Jack left the two of them alone. The diner was eerily quiet due to a lack of customers except for the Winchesters and the sound of cheesy music playing through the juke box. Sam cleared his throat and Dean rolled his eyes eventually.

"Well this is a regular "Cat's in The Cradle" moment ain't it Sammy?" Dean finally spoke up.

"What do you want me to say Dean," Sam defended himself, calmer this time though. "That I'm sorry for freaking out last night and kicking the bumper of your precious car? That I was wrong?"

"You're not apologizing for squat," Dean replied, his tone more authoritative than before. "I was wrong. I didn't know you felt that way Sam."

"Yeah I've tended to feel like that ever since dad was around," Sam grumbled and took a sip of his water. Dean could see the hurt concealed behind his younger brother's eyes. "Mostly after Cas came around though."

A few moments of silence passed before either brother spoke again. Dean initiated the next round of talking.

"I remember one time when you were five," Dean played with the paper his straw had come in and settled further forward in his seat so he was sitting upright and his hands were folded on the table. "You were really sick. Man I mean your fever was through the roof and dad was on a job again, not like him to ever be around when we needed him, but anyway he was doing what he had to do. You couldn't get out of bed so I read to yah, I changed the sheets you'd soaked through and even your shirt every time you puked on either of us—"

"Is there a point to this story?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"If you'd give me a chance to finish prima donna," Dean said. "Anyway there was something you said to me while we were laying there in your bed, I was staring up at the ceiling and you were slumped against my chest sweating so much you were making me shiver from being wet. You told me I was your hero Sammy. To this day I haven't forgotten what you said to me. In fact from that day forward, those words were my damn motivation for everything I did."

Sam stayed silent, but he finally looked Dean in the eyes. Dean could see the hurt fading away ever so slowly.

"I know nothing I say can fix anything that's happened between the two of us," Dean explained. "But I just want you to know that Sammy, I never meant for anything I did to hurt you. Anything I've done I've done because it seemed right. At first it was what dad would've wanted, but then I realized I didn't want to be dad. Dad was an ass. I'll be the first to admit that. But I also didn't realize how much like dad I HAD become over the years. I don't know why you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't think it mattered." Sam sighed.

"Of course it matters Sammy," Dean replied. "Trust me it matters. You matter. You matter just as much to me as Cas does, as my car does. Hell you're my brother. We're family. Family doesn't always mean anything to everybody, but damn if it means something to me. You're one of the things that get me out of bed every morning. Fighting for you. For all of my family. The family and friends we have gained over the years do not cancel out my love for you. You're my brother and at the end of the day who else is going to be there for me like that?"

Sam broke into a small smile and so did Dean in return. The two brothers sat a few moments in silence before Sam reached across the table and hugged Dean around the neck.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said.

"Me too little brother," Dean held him tight. "Me too."

Sam went back to his side of the table just as Jack was bringing the burgers and fries to them. Sam excused himself to the bathroom and Dean smiled and thanked Jack as the server nodded in response. He stopped before he returned to the counter.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"Nothing much," Dean smiled. "Just the typical "I'd Follow You Down to the End" speech. Normal for our family. I happen to enjoy it the best."

"As long as no one else is going to almost die in my establishment," Jack winked and laughed. "It's bad for my rating with the health department."

"Trust me," Dean chuckled. "No one's dying anytime soon."

Dean felt like eating his words because of Castiel, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Good," Jack said. "Because you're my best customer!"

Jack left for the back room and Sam returned. The two brothers ate in peace and it felt as though the air was finally cleared for awhile, if not for good. Dean paid the bill, leaving a big tip for Jack and the pair exited into the chilly spring air. They hadn't stayed in one place long enough to experience a whole season, but this year they'd stayed from fall to almost the beginning of summer. It was sort of refreshing in a way. Dean pulled his jacket tighter to his body and Sam followed suit as the duo got into the Impala and with one last look towards each other they took off towards the hospital.

Sam felt good about the whole conversation. He'd played it through his head throughout the whole car ride to the parking space Dean had chosen near the entrance to the hospital. Dean walked ahead of him, but Sam didn't mind. What had needed to be said between them had been said. Sam felt good about it too. It wasn't until Castiel had gone into the hospital had Sam's suspicions over the years been confirmed. The way Dean's thoughts had been erratic. The way he'd fawned over Castiel even though the angel couldn't hear him or see him. The way he'd stared at the planes of Castiel's sullen and ashen face so many times Sam assumed Dean probably had them memorized. He knew now why Dean had been acting the way he had. Dean had been acting different, moving different, as though he was dancing around in his own mind. Sam recognized it.

It was the way he had moved around Jess.

That was why Sam smiled when he and Dean entered the room and Dean went immediately to Castiel's side. Because this was worth putting before him, if not for a little while.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**A/N: An update: My surgery was successful. I'm still a bit of a chipmunk cheeks and normal food would be appreciated, but other than that I felt better today and I'm NOT hopped up on pills so I thought I'd update for you all. A bit of a longer chapter too for your entertainment. I promise it will be more than Castiel's mind and the brothers talking soon. I have plans. Now whether you all will like them or not I beg to differ? **


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Alex," Jody groaned into the phone as she came to a red light. The sheriff balanced the phone on her shoulder and sipped her coffee with the other before setting down the disposable cup and beginning to drive to the next intersection. "You so did get Cheeto dust on my seat and you're gonna pay for it to be cleaned young lady!"

"_Mom," _Alex replied, groaning right back. "_That'll take two of my paychecks at McDonald's."_

"Yeah well you shoulda thought of that before you rubbed an orange concoction all over my leather seat," Jody replied as she came to a second red light. Her radio was tuned to a station playing "Back in Black" and she turned it up a tiny bit as the light turned green and she started to go through it. "You break it you buy it. I am not being held responsible for another car."

Suddenly a person ran in front of Jody and she gasped before slamming the brakes, the car behind her slightly tapping her bumper. He honked and cussed her out. Jody stared at him in the mirror before her eyes trained back on the figure before her. A girl of about Alex's age maybe a bit young with dirty blonde hair and clutching a loaf of bread. She stared at Jody with terrified eyes and then ran off across the street. Another person, a store owner, followed her in hot pursuit.

"_What was that about wrecking another car mom?" _Jody could feel Alex smirking even through the phone.

"Shush," Jody said. "I'll call you later."

She hung up on Alex and stared at where the teenager had run off to. The guy behind her honked his horn and gave her a few gestures before she put on her flashers and smiled sarcastically at him. Eventually he went around; tearing past the sheriff and taking off down the road. Jody ran over towards the alleyway where the girl had gone and saw her cowering in fear while the shop owner held his meat cleaver high, waving it around.

"Put the toy down James," Jody said calmly and strode over to the scene. The girl stared at her too, skeptical of her being her hero or her fate. "Play time's over."

"Tell that to this little rat here," James, the shop owner scowled at the teenage girl. "This is the third time she's stolen something from me! She's just unlucky this time cuz I caught her."

He smiled menacingly at the girl and the girl glared right back at him. She kicked him in the knee and he cursed, motioning to strike her in the head.

"Ok," Jody yelled and held his wrist; she took it behind his back and restrained him. He grunted at her brute force and she stood unwavering. "I said that's enough! James its one loaf of bread, I think you've made enough this month huh? Don't you? Cuz I sure do."

"Damn it Mills," James tried to wriggle out of her grip. "I thought you were the police?"

"Not before 9am," Jody let him go, but pushed him in the other direction. "Go. Before I call in the big guns, she's not hurting anything but your feelings."

James grunted, but then finally left the alley. Jody sighed and then turned back to the girl.

"Whatcha got there?" Jody asked.

"If you're going to arrest me," the girl sneered. "Do it already."

"I'm not taking you in," Jody came closer, holding out her hand. She helped the girl up and though she hesitated the girl stayed put. "Me and James go way back, he's not gonna press charges and even if he does I'll make sure they get lost in the junk mail."

"The hell kind of cop are you?" the girl was confused. She held onto the bread like it was her lifeblood.

"I'm gonna tell you what I told him," Jody smiled a little. "I'm not a cop before 9am."

"It's 9:30." The girl eased up a bit.

"I was late for work anyway," Jody replied. "C'mon you look absolutely starved. I'll take yah somewhere."

The girl hesitated once again, but then eventually once she realized Jody wasn't leaving without her; she, still clutching the bread, followed close behind the sheriff to her illegally parked cruiser. She got into the passenger side and she and Jody took off towards the nearest breakfast place.

Once they got to the only IHOP in Sioux Falls Jody parked her cruiser and after she pried the bread from the girl's arms, assuring her it would be there when they got back, the two went inside. The place was fairly crowded, mostly with old folks and those who had just let out of church. Tears for Fears singing "Shout" played quietly over the radio and each table was set with a red and white checkerboard tablecloth. Jody and the girl sat down at a table near the window so that Jody could keep an eye on her car. Jody ordered a coffee and an apple juice for the girl. She ordered a short stack and the girl hesitantly ordered one too. The waitress smiled and walked off.

"You can't tell me that suddenly you aren't hungry," Jody chuckled. "After the effort you went through for that bread."

"Why are doing this?" the girl's voice was low, but there was anger covering fear still mixed into it. "I'm not looking for charity. What you trying to get a promotion for helping the most underprivileged kids in a month?"

"I'm doing it because it's what's right," Jody explained. "Not because of my job. Also because of the fact that I happen to be a mom and I know when someone's hungry even when they say they aren't."

The girl stayed silent until their food came and Jody let her. It had taken her months to be able to have a solid conversation with Alex. She could be patient.

"Told you," Jody motioned to her plate as she chewed her pancakes. "You were hungry. I knew it. Don't tell me what I don't know."

Jody chuckled, joking with the girl. The girl cut her food and ate it fervently. She wasted not a single piece and the waitress took her plate as soon as she set her knife and fork down. Jody ate, not paying attention to the time one bit as she studied the girl. Her hair was braided on one side, but not the other. Her eyes were covered in dark makeup and fading mascara. Her clothes were wrinkled and old. Her jeans had holes in them and her sneakers had certainly seen better days.

"Walked a long way huh?" Jody spoke up. "Cuz that dirt ain't from around here."

The girl hid her sneakers from view then readjusted in her seat. The waitress brought the check and Jody slapped down the money plus tip.

"Yeah," Jody could tell the girl's walls were coming down ever so slightly. "Long way, Pontiac."

"Illinois," Jody commented. "It's nice there. Been a couple of times. You here with your parents?"

"Hardly," the girl scoffed and then sighed. "I don't have any parents. Not anymore."

"And you're how old?"

"Seventeen." The girl crossed her arms tighter, as if they were a security blanket.

"I see," Jody concluded this was something much bigger than she'd anticipated stumbling onto. "What's your name?"

"Claire," the girl replied. "Claire Novak."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"The coffee here sucks." Dean commented. His voice was hoarse from sitting up all night next to Castiel's bedside.

"Dude it's a hospital," Sam replied. "What do you expect?"

"Well not Shangri la," Dean tossed the paper cup into the nearby trash can. "But maybe a bigger container? A little options on what to put in it?"

"There's a Starbucks across the street," Sam got up. "I'll get us something stronger. I think we're gonna need it."

Dean nodded and watched Sam leave. He smiled in response to his brother's kindness. He was glad they'd had that talk and even happier it had been in a homey and comfortable environment. Dean had grown to like Jack's place and hoped that even though he had an apparent lack of customers he wouldn't shut down. Sam had enjoyed the outing too and his burger. Dean, for once, felt as though the air was actually clear between the two of them. It was long time coming too. Dean jumped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he took it out to read the name that came across. He stood up and walked outside to place the call.

"Jody." Dean said.

"Well damn if it's true," Jody laughed, more in relief that it was Dean's voice and not Sam's that she was hearing for the first time in months. "You're back among us."

"Yeah down under was fun," Dean smirked and laughed too. "But I ain't going back. Too many tourists."

"How you doing Dean?" Jody asked.

"I've seen better days," Dean sighed and turned his eyes away from the hospital. "How are you sheriff? Alex?"

"We're surviving," Jody replied. "Listen Dean this is gonna sound really weird, but you remember that time you told you lost a girl?"

"You're gonna have to be more specific," Dean smirked again. "How big are her tits?"

"Very funny wise guy," Jody rolled her eyes. She looked over at Claire, who was seated in her car staring forward and her arms were crossed again. Jody stood by a decorative ledge near the IHOP. "She's seventeen."

"Little young for me yeah," Dean was more serious now. "Yeah we did. We had her with us at the bunker for a bit, but she ran off one morning and we couldn't find her. Besides Sammy and Cas were more worried about me at the time. Why do you ask?"

"Well cuz this morning I was berating Alex on how not to eat Cheetos in my car if she's going to leave orange fingerprints everywhere," Jody explained. "When this girl ran in front of me and needless to say after pissing off a few drivers I went after her. She was clutching a loaf of bread in the alley, starving and scared to death. She's with me now. She matches the description of the girl you were telling me about."

"What's her name?" Dean asked.

"Claire Novak."

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered before sighing and then answering Jody. "Yeah she's the one. She was stealing again?"

"Food Dean," Jody clarified. "I took her to breakfast. Needless to say I'm two hours later for work, but I don't care. I'll call in sick. I just need to know what I'm dealing with here."

"Look she's not hostile," Dean explained. "She's just lost. Her mom dumped her on her grandma. Her grandma died and she's been through foster home after group home after God knows what else. Cas he uh, he's wearing her dad."

"Excuse me?" Jody's eyes widened.

"Cas' vessel is her father Jimmy Novak," Dean continued. "I'm sure his face has shown up on your missing person's reports a few times before. Look don't turn her in she's just a poor lost kid."

"I wasn't planning on turning her in Dean," Jody assured him. "But before I change my mind give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

Dean sighed. He paused. Jody asked if he was still there then he spoke again.

"Cas is responsible for her," Dean said. "At least he feels that way, but right now Cas is majorly indisposed."

"What happened?" Jody was genuinely concerned.

"Takes too long to explain over the phone," Dean said. "Listen just bring Claire here. I know it's long drive and all, but I have to talk to her even if Cas can't right now."

"Ok," Jody nodded. "I'll leave in a few hours. Just text me the address and I'll plug it into my computer. I'll see you soon Dean."

Jody hung up and walked back over to her cruiser. She got into the driver's seat and plugged in the hospital's address on her car's GPS after Dean texted it to her. Claire watched her intently before Jody looked over at her.

"How do you feel about road trips?" Jody asked.

"They're ok," Claire shrugged. "Just so long as I get to pick the music."

"All yours," Jody took her hands away from the radio and Claire started to search for a station. Jody thumbed through her contacts again and called Alex. "Look Alex I'm gonna have to call in another favor."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Gabriel watched over his brother. It was strange seeing Castiel all wired up to human machines. If Gabriel's Father had been around he'd have healed him in a heartbeat with a snap of his fingers. None of this human equipment would be necessary.

"Well isn't he a sight for sore eyes?" a voice rang out from the doorway and Gabriel jumped up, immediately in protective mode. He was itching to allow his angel blade into his grip. His golden honey eyes remained intently fixed on the man at the door.

"Relax," Crowley entered the room. "I'm simply here to pay my respects."

"He's not dead yet asshat," Gabriel glared. "Nor is he going to die."

"With all due respect sweet tooth," Crowley replied. "I know exactly who this poor bastard sold his angel juice to. He's got a snowball's chance in Home sweet Home. I sure hope he liked it down there."

"Word around the campfire is you went MIA," Gabriel was still on guard. Castiel's heart monitor beeped. "Winchesters say you're number one on their hit list. In fact if my mortally ill brother wasn't lying in this bed and the self proclaimed King of Hell wasn't in the room with him I'd fly and tell them that you're here right now."

"Horns, bells and whistles will do just fine," Crowley looked over at Castiel. "Yes I was MIA. I was dealing with far more important things than Moose and Squirrel and their angelic pets. Rebuilding my kingdom, making up for everything Abbadon mucked up, my mother."

Gabriel noticed Crowley shudder a bit then shake off his thoughts.

"So you came here why?" Gabriel asked.

"Because ultimately I really feel for the boy," Crowley said. "I went through all that Hell, no pun intended, to end up here. He's not where he wants to be and he won't ever be."

"So in other words you were hoping I was Dean," Gabriel's wrathful look was enough to give children nightmares. "So you could feed off his negative energy and self loathing over this."

"Essentially yes," Crowley shrugged. "But you'll do. You're his brother. You've known him longer than Squirrel anyway and you love him and now he's dying right before your eyes."

Gabriel slammed Crowley up against the wall and held his blade to the demon's throat.

"Don't you say that again," Gabriel warned him. "Castiel is strong. He'll fight. He always does and I'll let you in on an even bigger secret. He usually always wins too."

"Oh really," Crowley smirked a little. "So does losing your memory a month after waking up from this, if in fact Shirley Feeney over here does wake up, does that count as winning?"

Gabriel's shoulders tensed, but then he released Crowley from his iron grip. He didn't know why he didn't smite the damn guy while he had the chance. Then he was reminded of where he was.

"Oh I'm sorry," Crowley's smirk grew wider. "I wasn't aware you didn't know what happens to those who sell their essences to Louis? You told the boys that you knew about Raziel's story, but you didn't tell them everything you knew."

"I didn't want to hurt Sam," Gabriel replied. "Or Dean. It would hurt him worse."

"You're going to have to tell them eventually," Crowley said in a sing song voice. "Or at the least the affected over here. I doubt he even knows. Louis didn't tell that part to Raziel either. He learned the hard way then his little love boat set sail before it could even anchor."

Gabriel didn't say anything. He couldn't think of anything to say. All of his potential witty remarks were no match for the truth. He had left out one important detail to avoid hurting the Winchesters, God knows he'd hurt them enough over the years.

"Anyway," Crowley made a cross over his chest and then turned away from Castiel. "I'll leave, but I did enjoy this little chat with you angel. I hope you found it as eye opening as I did."

Crowley then disappeared and Gabriel resisted the urge to throw up.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**I had to stick Crowley in there at least once, I'm sure you all were wondering where he'd gone to? Claire, well she was an added surprise. I watched that episode today so I felt inspired. All is good between the brothers, but will it stay good if Gabriel tells them the truth? That's the real question.**

**Another update: Okay so guys my mouth is healing slowly (I can open it and stick my tongue out that's progress), but healing so that's good. Also I start my second semester next Tuesday so that means more schoolwork...-crickets chirp-. Anyway this story is my pride and joy right now and I'm determined to finish it soon so I promise I won't leave y'all hanging for too long if I have to. Some humor for your night: My first class is public speaking and I can barely open my mouth...just think about that for second. **

**More to come soon, see you guys then!**


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The hospital doors pinged when they opened and Sam stepped back in with two more coffees in hand. This was his third run to Starbucks that day and the barista was starting to give him a funny look every time he walked through the door.

"The coffee at the hospital sucks." He'd explained to him.

The barista had simply sighed and taken Sam's third order of the day.

When Sam returned to Dean he found the elder Winchester with a disgruntled look on his face and he appeared to be deep in thought.

"So get this," Dean said, taking his coffee. "Jody found Claire."

"That's my line," Sam said. "No way, Claire Novak? I thought she had the jump on us?"

"I did too," Dean took a sip and the warm liquid flooded his chest. "Apparently Jody almost ran over a girl this morning who was stealing food because she was starving. She found out it was Claire and I had to spill about Cas to her. She's on her way here now. With Claire."

"That's gonna go over real well Dean." Sam sighed.

"What was I supposed to do?" Dean asked. "You can't lie to Jody. She figures things out."

"That's kind of her job," Sam replied, walking back into the hospital with his brother by his side. "She's a cop."

"Yeah remind me again why we got involved with the law?" Dean laughed and Sam mirrored him. The two brothers made their way back to Castiel's room. Dean went immediately back to Castiel's bedside, but Sam noticed that Gabriel was looking less than serene. His worried look was enough to warrant suspicion from the younger Winchester that something more was wrong. Sam gave the archangel a look that spoke more volumes than his words ever could and Gabriel responded with a small nod before motioning for Sam to follow him into the hallway.

"I'll be right back Dean," Sam lied. "Bathroom break."

"Gotcha." Dean nodded and went back to watching over Castiel. Sam followed behind Gabriel as the archangel led Sam away from the door for privacy from Dean.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Gabriel asked.

"I don't know," Sam said, carefully choosing his words. "Is there something to talk about?"

"That depends on if you're asking or not."

"Something happened while we were gone," Sam said. "Healthy people don't just get three shades paler in a span of a few hours."

"Can we walk elsewhere," Gabriel's voice was soft again, like he was more troubled than Sam had anticipated. "Please?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded and walked with Gabriel towards the outside and the hospital garden. "Sure. Speak."

"Crowley came to the room," Gabriel turned his gaze away from Sam's and stared instead at a small pond that was filled with koi fish that were swimming about, some slowly and some frantically. It had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world to the archangel. "He said Cas was going to die if he knew the guy who'd bought his grace."

Sam's breath hitched in his throat.

"Well I call bullshit," Gabriel spun his head back around to Sam. "Cas? He's the strongest angel I know. Hell, he's stronger than me in a lot more ways than I'd like to admit. He has the will to live. He proved that when he made the sacrifice he did."

Sam joined Gabriel by the koi pond. The fish scattered but then returned when Sam sat down and remained still.

"I told him once that fish were going to be big things," Gabriel explained. "That Father had big plans for each and every single one of them. I'd been to earth. I knew what Dad had planned and how the fish was supposed to crawl out of the ocean and grow lungs, etc. We were walking on this beach and this little tiny fish it hopped up on the sand and well it flopped around a lot and I told Cas not to step on it. "Big plans for that fish Castiel". He stepped on it anyway."

"Rebellious from the start huh?" Sam chuckled softly a bit.

"Most angels hadn't been to earth like I had, that was Castiel's first time even," Gabriel continued to watch the koi. Their little dance under the water was almost hypnotic. Sam found it to be too. He couldn't peel his eyes away either as the pair watched the tiny ripples and waves that occurred every time a fish would slap its tail against the water and change direction. "They've had it programmed in their heads from day one that anything smaller and weaker than them is an inconvenience. Especially the Warriors of Michael. When Castiel stepped on that fish he didn't know that one day that fish would rule the world. As a human."

"He's been on earth for years now," Gabriel continued his speech. "I think he's figured out why I told him what I did about the fish. Now he's the fish, grasping for breath and flopping on the beach next to an angry and stormy tide. Waves are rolling in and he's drowning on land. But Dad knows if I've taught him something and God willing I have he'll fight like Hell to throw himself back into the ocean again."

"He's not gonna drown," Sam was fixed on the fish once again and he sighed. "Dean won't let him."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"A hospital?" Claire inquired. "What is someone you know sick?"

"No," Jody sighed and put his cruiser in park near the Impala. "But someone you know is."

Claire was confused at first until the two of them got out of Jody's car and she saw Dean's Impala parked nearby. Her stomach dropped to her feet and her palms begun to sweat. She shook a little.

"Oh hell no," Claire shook her head profusely. "I am not going in there."

"Look kid," Jody put on her mom voice. "I did not drive all this way to turn around now. The person you know is literally deathly ill and Dean told me to bring to him. So that's what I'm going to do since you've hereby been my responsibility since this morning. So you're going to go into that hospital. I never said you had to like it, but you're not leaving my site you understand me?"

Claire hadn't been talked to like that since the group home, but something inside her felt the need to obey Jody rather than sass her. She didn't know what it was, but there was something about Jody that screamed that she wasn't a force to be reckoned with. Claire swallowed hard and nodded, allowing Jody to lead her into the crowded hospital lobby and to the front desk.

"Yes," Jody talked to the clerk. "We wish to visit the John Doe that was recently admitted into room 206."

"Right down the hallway there," the clerk instructed her. "There's already three people in there, but he's allowed five visitors per day so you two are hopefully the last for now?"

"Yes," Jody nodded. "We are."

Claire and Jody made their way past the nurses pushing gurneys and rushing about towards patients' rooms and Claire pulled her jacket closer to her body. Hospitals made her feel sick to her stomach. Once they made it to the room without getting lost the clerk left them alone and all heads turned towards the girls.

"Jody," Dean breathed out and hugged her. "Good to see you."

"Good to see you too Dean," Jody hugged him, it was one filled with comfort and slightly tight due to the amount of time that had passed and things that had happened between now and the last time the sheriff had seen Dean. "I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances."

"When is it ever?" Dean managed to force out a chuckle and Sam got a hug next. Claire remained in the background, trying to appear invisible as she played with the zipper on her hoodie. Gabriel smiled at her and continued to let the brothers have their moment before introducing himself to the sheriff. She shook his hand and tried to take in the fact that he was an archangel. This had been her first encounter with the Winchester's angelic acquaintances.

Claire's eyes fixed on Castiel in the hospital bed hooked up to all of the machines he was and her stomach flipped again. She pulled her legs closer together and relied on the wall to keep her upright. Dean sensed her distress and pulled up a chair for her and she reluctantly sat down in it. The closer she moved towards Castiel the sicker she felt. Not because of Castiel's appearance or anything, she'd seen worse. It was something much deeper than that.

"I'm gonna go get some coffee," Jody spoke up. "I'm also gonna stretch my limbs and attempt to clean Cheeto slime off of my upholstery."

"Ok Jody," Sam nodded. "We'll be here."

Jody left the room and went down the hall towards the bathrooms. Sam sat in the back of the room with Gabriel, talking in softer voices about the news that playing on the television. Dean sat near Claire and Castiel.

"Hey Cas," Dean said, knowing Castiel couldn't hear him, but one could only hope. "You remember Claire? The one you saved the night I went bat shit crazy and this whole nightmare begun? Well she's here to see you."

"I'm not here to see anyone," Claire's spiteful tongue was back again. "I got dragged here by your friend and I just want to get out of here."

"Never mind then Cas," Dean managed to remain calm. He understood Claire's resentment towards the angel. "False alarm. I must be going crazy here without you to keep me sane. Carry on."

"He can't hear you," Claire said, her tone still brazen. "You do know that right?"

"Yeah I do," Dean replied with just as cold a tone. "But hey if I was lying in a bed I think I'd get pretty bored too, but I guess you wouldn't know what this is like huh?"

Claire was shocked by Dean's response. She suddenly felt six inches tall and like her heart was going to pound out of her chest. Dean turned his gaze back to Castiel and his machines. His heart monitor had come to be a comforting sound rather than annoying like it had started out as. Sam and Gabriel, sensing the discomfort in the room, decided to take a leave as well and the pair followed Jody's path.

At least a half hour full of silence passed before either Dean or Claire said anything.

"I'm sorry." Claire said.

"For what?" Dean asked.

"For being a bitch," Claire explained. "For saying what I did earlier. For having total disrespect for your monster friend."

"I thought he was a monster too," Dean started to calm down a bit from Claire's lack of attitude anymore. "Hell I stabbed him in the chest the first time we met. But he's no monster. In fact he's the nicest creature I've ever encountered and that's saying something."

"You have to understand," Claire's lip was barely doing so, but it was quivering. "I lost my entire family in one night because of your friend. I was alone. My mom left and dumped me on my grandmother. She died and my mom never came back for me. Meanwhile Castiel is out living this beautiful angelic life in my dad's body."

"Angelic yeah," Dean replied. "I wouldn't call it beautiful."

Claire gave Dean a look as if to say "go on".

"He's been atomized," Dean explained. "He's been beaten to a pulp by angels and demons alike. He's had Leviathans, monsters, inside of him and they ravaged his brain and vessel. He's been to Hell and back multiple times for me and Sammy. He's not having an apple pie life Claire so you can wipe that hypothesis from your head."

"Yeah but he didn't have to bring my dad along for the ride." Claire sighed and looked over at Castiel. Her father's body looked older somehow even though she figured that angels didn't age. His face was sunken and ashen and he looked as though he'd lost a ton of weight. Claire felt terrible all of a sudden.

"Your dad," Dean leaned closer to her, so she was looking him in the eyes. "He prayed for this. He wanted to help. Granted the angel's cause wasn't always crystal clear, but he wanted to help. He was an asset if you think about it. He did what most humans don't get the chance to do. Help save the world."

Claire thought about that a moment. It was true. Her mother had always told her that her father was off his rocker and needed help, but after all she had witnessed the second and third time Castiel had come back into her life she was beginning to realize that without her father's vessel Castiel wouldn't have done half the good he had. He wouldn't have been there to rescue her from the horrible men that Randy had sold her out to. Her life would've been over if that had happened.

"I guess you're right," Claire nodded then smirked. "For a Hasselhoff knockoff."

"I resent that nickname," Dean returned the smirk. "Miley Cyrus."

The two exchanged a moment of laughter before the others returned to the room. Jody was all smiles towards Claire as she sipped from the Starbucks cup she held. Sam and Gabriel were still chatting and chuckling about something. Dean smiled at the group. Though the situation was bad, he was glad that everyone he cared about was there.

"_Sorry I'm late to the party boss," _Titan appeared before Dean's eyes and everyone subsequently jumped from fright. "_But I had to sneak in. It's not like they let dogs through the front door yah know?"_

Well, now everyone was.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

It was 1am when everything went to Hell again. Dean was the only one awake. Jody was out front of the hospital, taking calls and checking in on Alex. Gabriel had mentioned something about a koi pond and had disappeared at around 12am. Sam was conked out in an armchair nearby and Claire was curled up on the other one. Her knees were tucked up against her body and her hair was falling in her face a bit. Dean smiled at the sleeping girl and tucked a hospital issued blanket off the back of the chair onto her body. He smiled at his sleeping brother too. Sam deserved the rest after the Hell Dean had put him through lately. Titan was curled up near Dean, but Dean could tell even though the hound was asleep he was in a state of being ever alert. If a nurse came in he'd have to turn invisible at a moment's notice.

The quiet was disturbed though, by Castiel's heart monitor beeping loudly and off the charts.

Dean's eyes went wide as he started at the angel, who was coated in sweat and his heart rate was increasing at an alarming rate. The machine had immediately sent out whatever emergency code it needed to because suddenly Sam and Claire were awake, Titan was "invisidog" as Dean called it, and nurses were flooding into the room.

"What's wrong with him?!" Dean exclaimed.

"His body is reacting violently," the doctor explained as he was continued to inspect and work. "It's literally attacking itself."

Dean gasped and Sam felt his throat clench tight. Gabriel and Jody rushed into the room as it was happening. Claire's stomach dropped to her feet again and Dean felt like he couldn't breathe a single breath. Everything around the elder hunter was a blur as he watched Castiel sweating and burning up and sweating and dying...dying before him. Dean then remembered Gabriel's words.

"C'mon Cas," Dean yelled over the insane beeping and the flashes of white and red as nurses ran about. "You can do it! You can fight this!"

Something else entirely was happening inside the angel's head though.

Castiel saw fire again and it raced towards him. Along with venomous snakes, one of which was wrapped around his arm and threatening to bite. Its fangs glistened and it hissed before Castiel threw it away and it disappeared into the ground. Louis' voice echoed through his mind again.

_"Welcome to the battle for your life," _Louis laughed evilly. "_Good luck."_

Castiel heard another voice though, it was breaking through the mist and the smoke and the fire and the snakes and it was almost as though it shook the fake blackened ground beneath him.

"_Cas please," _he heard Dean yell. "_I need you!"_

Castiel's fear suddenly turned to determination. It flowed through him, more powerfully than his grace ever could've in the past, and he clenched his fists as his blue eyes met the orange and red flames racing towards him.

Castiel took off running, not looking back.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**Damn, holy plot twist! Will Cas survive or will he fall prey to Louis?**

**A/N: I start classes again tomorrow. That means I'll probably have homework due this week. College comes first guys, but I promise this story isn't over yet! I look forward to what's to come and I hope you all do too?**

**More to come as soon as I can!**


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The flames grew higher as Castiel ran through his mind that seemed to grow hotter and hotter and foggier and foggier. He could feel the heat behind him from the fire that he suspected was his body's way of telling him he had a fever and it was rapidly growing. He almost tripped over his own two feet, but he kept going. Only because he heard those faithful words echoing through his head. Those three words from Dean that could make him move mountains, flood cities, and attempt to burn the sun.

"_I need you!"_

His charge, his best friend, his...everything needed him and that was more than enough of a reason to fight. He kept running until the ground started to shake a little again and a bolt of electricity shot out from above and hit him. Castiel didn't feel pain though he felt a charge. He felt a flash of energy rushing through him and he felt a bit more awake than he had before. He realized the bolts weren't designed to hurt him unlike everything else in his mind; they were helping wake him up. Lightening crashed all around him in a circle and he heard his heart beating: thump thump thump thumpa thump thump thump. He could feel his fingers tingle and his back hurt, but the pain was searing away like a bad cut being healed. The lightning suddenly stopped though and then Castiel was left to see where he really was. He was surrounded by giant hour glasses.

They were turned upside down and the sand was caught in the middle like some frozen sand stick, but it was slowly leaking through to the other side, the side where his life was draining away. The flames were closing in on him again too, the fever creeping into his subconscious and eating his life away faster than it should have. But still he heard those words. Those words by Dean forced him to keep things in perspective again. Castiel looked around at the hourglasses. The ones on the inside were normal sand, but the ones surrounding those had blue glowing sand. He identified those immediately as his grace by their resonating sound and aura and they were dying in brightness. He placed his hand on the glass of the first one and it started to crack beneath his fingertips until the cracks spread to turn into bigger and bigger cracks and then the hourglass shattered before him. He covered his face until it was over. He noticed the others starting to do the same thing and the fire was getting dangerously closer to the middle. Castiel backed up into the hourglasses with regular sand in them and gripped them from behind almost as though he could protect them just like that. He started to shake as he saw a familiar figure emerge through the fire and smirk at him. The bone beads on his hat clacked as he came closer.

"We finally meet again Castiel," Louis smirked and sauntered over to the angel. He grabbed his chin with his thumb and pointer finger and looked him over. "What do you say huh? Little kiss of death? You know I'm going to win."

"Never!" Castiel jerked his head away and Louis, discontented, walked back over to the flames about ready to command them beyond the circle they'd formed around the remaining hourglasses. Castiel glared at the demon and then he felt this shooting pain and his body felt on fire though it wasn't. The fever was trying to win. Louis was trying to win. Castiel couldn't let him, but it was so easy to just give in, the warmth was comforting in a way. Castiel closed his eyes and hung his head. Louis smirked again and begun to raise his hand.

"_I don't think so." _Louis turned to see Titan behind the wall of fire. He jumped over it and then landed before Castiel and growled at the demon.

"I have come for what is mine mutt," Louis explained. "Now move it."

_"And I've come to defend what is my master's friend," _Titan replied. "_So you can shove it."_

Louis snapped his fingers and the flames raced towards a knocked out Castiel. Titan lunged and jumped at Louis, tackling him to the ground before biting a chunk out of his neck. The demon started to choke and gag on his own blood filing up his lungs and throat and the last thing he saw was Titan's eyes flash completely white before he disappeared. The flames dissipated and Castiel's head shot up.

Then he shot up in a hospital bed scaring the living daylights out of numerous nurses and his doctor. His heart monitor beeped off the charts from the shock he'd ensued and his clothes and bed were completely soaked from sweat. But the fever was broken, the flames were gone, and Louis was nowhere to be seen. All Castiel saw was the beaming smiles of Dean and Sam, his brother Gabriel, Dean's friend Jody he'd heard so much about and Claire? Dean had some explaining to do, but Castiel suspected he'd brought her here at some point. He felt this overpowering sense of love and relief flood through the room throughout his family and pure astonishment from the doctor and his colleagues. But Castiel had done it. He'd survived and he'd beat Louis and the odds and even though he was sweaty and hot and tired as hell he smiled. He laughed a little too and he felt Dean's arms around him.

"Do not," Dean warned him, more with relief than sternness. "Do that ever again."

His arms, they felt like home and Castiel nodded into his shoulder. Castiel couldn't help, but wonder in that moment if his Father had given him a second chance.

Then he looked over at Titan, invisible to the humans and lying on the floor, the hound winked at him.

Maybe someone else had made the decision for Him?

"I wish to go home Dean." Castiel said, knowing full well that he was already there.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

They'd had to sneak Castiel out while the doctor was off running tests that unfortunately for him would come up inconclusive due the angelic and demonic nature of Castiel's condition. Jody had followed close behind in her cruiser and eventually they all reached the bunker without arousing too much suspicion from the hospital about their missing John Doe. The sun was beginning to go down when they got there and Dean parked off to the side in the yard so Jody would have enough room to pull out if she needed to. Sam opened the bunker's door and let everyone inside. There were few words spoken, but everyone felt a mutual good feeling within the walls. Dean led Castiel to his room slowly and Sam flipped on the switch in the kitchen and searched the fridge for food to fix for dinner. Titan slightly limped over to his favorite corner on the living room rug and licked at his paw. It had been burnt earlier. Claire and Jody settled in on the couches and Sam brought them each drinks. Dean rejoined them a moment later saying that Castiel was resting and would be with them soon.

Hours passed and eventually Sam called everyone for dinner. He'd made hamburgers because they were the fastest thing in there he'd claimed. Claire ate hungrily, but graciously. She'd been fed well two times in a row now and she wasn't complaining. Jody and Sam took some of the salad Sam had made too with theirs and Dean smiled when Castiel sat down to join them. Gabriel had nothing for he had no need to eat, but he joined in the conversation. Once dinner was done Sam cleaned everything up and everyone dispersed one again. Castiel went back to his room and after much insistence from Dean Jody and Claire were following the elder Winchester towards two spare rooms near the back of the bunker, sheets in their arms. Gabriel was on the couch, reading an old book that had been on the coffee table, and he shot a small smile towards Sam. Sam left the kitchen sink full of dishes untouched as he made his way towards his room. Dean had to walk by Castiel's room before he reached his own and he peered through the door at Castiel who was inspecting a tape player near the desk.

"It plays music," Dean explained. "But you need tapes in there first."

"I am aware of what a tape player is Dean," Castiel replied. "I was simply examining it to see if it was broken or still had the capability to play music."

"It's good," Dean smiled. "Do you want...music Cas?"

"That would be most enjoyable Dean." Castiel replied with a nod and Dean's smile grew. He left to grab a few tapes from the bunker's music shelf and came back with them in hand. He showed Castiel how to insert them and rewind and play them. He started him off with some classic rock as he let him look through the CDs.

"The men of letters had unique taste I gotta give em that," Dean looked through some of them then held one up. "This one is one of Charlie's, some lesbian indie band; she left it here last time she came. I dunno if you'll like it or not, but it's there."

Castiel read the name of the band on the cassette case: Indigo Girls. He popped out the classic rock tape and Dean tried to hide his slight hurt at Castiel's rejection of his tape, but he kept it to himself. The first few notes to the first song entitled "_Galileo" _started; they were played on bongos and then the rest of the instruments and her voice kicked in. Both Dean and Castiel gave it a listen.

"_And then you had to bring up reincarnation over a couple of beers the other night."_

"I like it." Castiel nodded and moved to looking at another cassette.

"Genesis is a great band," Dean commented. "You get the brilliance of both Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel and kick ass lyrics and instruments. It's an all around great package."

"One of the singers shares a name with my brother," Castiel pointed out. "I believe I will enjoy it."

Dean smiled. Sharing music with Castiel was a new step in their friendship. Dean had always wanted someone to try out his tapes and comment on them, but Sam had his own tastes. Castiel was refreshing. Maybe Dean could get him into AC/DC?

"Feel free to listen to em all," Dean got up from the bed and started to leave. "I'm gonna go to bed. I'll see yah in the morning Cas."

Castiel waved goodnight to Dean and Dean went to his own room. Castiel rubbed his fingers along the edge of the cassette tape case for Genesis and the tape currently in switched to a new song. Castiel leaned back on his bed and closed his eyes, listening to the music flow through his ears for what seemed like hours.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

He was sidetracked by a feeling of a presence in the room with him and he looked up to see Gabriel in the doorway. The archangel leaned against the doorframe and had his arms crossed.

"Most singers are fallen angels or Nephilim," Gabriel explained. "That's why they have supposed God given talent."

"It makes sense." Castiel nodded.

"Yeah," Gabriel came forward off the wall. "They don't remember their time as angels. Sound familiar Cas?"

Gabriel stared at his brother and Castiel figured he was trying to ask him something he was supposed to know.

"I have no idea what you're speaking of Gabriel." Castiel answered honestly.

"I guess Louis didn't give you the lowdown then," Gabriel sighed. "You know what happened to Raziel don't you?"

The horrible memories from Hell resurfaced and Castiel remembered sharing Raziel's memories. He had been an angel. An angel that had forgotten.

"Castiel you do know you have one month right," Gabriel said, lowering his voice unless wandering ears were present. Namely Winchester ones. "They have to know."

Castiel pondered the situation for a moment. Then he sighed and gave Gabriel a look that could make a puppy's heart break in two.

"They can't," Castiel stated. "Not yet."

"Well when are you going to tell them then?" Gabriel asked.

"As soon as the moment is right." Castiel assured his brother and finally after a few moments of silence Gabriel left him alone as the tape moved right on to the next song.

_"All we are is dust in wind."_

Who was he kidding? The moment would never be right enough to drop this bombshell.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**Fun fact: Castiel's heartbeat is based off of the guitar chords at the beginning to the song Lightning Crashes by Live. It's a song about death and new life. It fit with the lightning theme so I included it. **

**Let's hope Cas can drop that bombshell. Before he forgets to...along with everything else.**

**More to come soon!**


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Sheriff Jody Mills pulled into the driveway of her cabin in the woods. She had yet to ever go back to her old home that had been left to rot after Sam had shot her son and buried her husband. The thought of even stepping foot in it made her feel sick, thus she'd opted to change her address with the force and live in her family's cabin with Alex instead. Currently she was walking up to the front door on the phone with Sam and unlocking it for her and Claire to enter.

"Sit wherever you like," Jody told Claire. "I'm going to put my gun away and check in with my maniac."

"I heard that," Alex yelled from her room. "And who are you talking to?!"

"Come out and see," Jody replied and walked towards her room. "Play nice."

Alex and Jody brushed past one another and Jody continued to talk to Sam who she'd been ignoring for the majority of the phone call.

"Sorry Sam," Jody said. "I wanted to wait til I was alone."

"_I understand," _Sam replied. "_Would you rather talk to Cas about this? I mean he is wearing her dad?"_

"It's weird when you put it that way Sam," Jody took her boots off and checked that her gun was on safety before she locked it up. "No I'd rather talk to you about it. Cas needs to rest."

_"Jody," _Sam said. "_He was in a coma. He's rested enough. I'm going to put him on."_

Jody sighed and then listened as the phone was passed off to Castiel, who was clearly not up with his bedside manner for he stayed silent for a few minutes before talking.

"_Thank you for rescuing Claire," _Castiel showed his gratitude. "_I was worried sick when she ran off. I-I just wanted to make things right after what I'd done to her."_

"I understand Cas," Jody nodded. "I don't know how this is going to sit at the force when I take her. She's in Jimmy's records as a missing person too."

"_Then why turn her in," _Castiel asked. "_Why not keep her? Watch over her for Jimmy's soul and my peace of mind."_

"Cas as much as I would like to I—"

Jody stopped herself for a moment. It was true, she could just keep Claire like she had Alex. Jimmy had been pronounced legally dead years ago even though he was still missing in their files. The poor girl's mother was nowhere to be found either. It could take up to a year to find the woman, especially if she hadn't paid for anything using a credit card. That was quite an extensive endeavor that even Jody hated and didn't want to go through. She needed a sign that she would make the right choice and she found it in the pictures on her dresser. One in particular of her and her brother Jack Landrey Mills with their arms slung around each other's shoulders. They were smiling. They were together again and they were happy. They were family and family was what mattered here. Claire was lacking one of those and damn if Jody couldn't be the one to provide it. She sighed and made a choice before she regretted her decision.

"Fine," Jody replied. "I'll do it. But I'm not doing for Jimmy and I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for her."

"_Thank you Jody," _Castiel sighed with relief. "_She needs it."_

"I'll bet. Y'all keep in touch you hear?" Jody warned playfully. "Or I'm gonna start whooping asses."

"_I will inform Sam and Dean of your choice," _Castiel nodded. "_I personally think it's the right one. I will also inform them of the promised ass-whooping."_

"You rest up Castiel," Jody said. "Bye bye now."

She hung up and walked back into the living room of the cabin where Alex and Claire were seated across from one another. Claire looked down at her worn shoes and Alex settled further forward in the chair and smiled at Claire.

"Are you a runaway?" Alex asked.

"Yeah..." Claire admitted.

"Me too," Alex replied. "But Jody's good to me. She took me in when nobody else would. She's been the closest thing I've had to a mom since I was five. She'll take care of you trust me."

Claire lifted her head up and broke into a small smile and Alex did too. The two started chatted about anything and everything. Jody smiled too, but more because of the fact that Claire was no longer running the streets, stealing bread, and getting into deeper trouble than she would be for petty theft. God only knows what dangers lurked out there and now she wouldn't have to worry about them. Jody thought of her brother's smiling face and how her family had been torn apart piece by piece slowly and indefinitely then she thought of the two girls before her and how they'd lost their families too. They'd lost everything just like her.

But that was the beauty of them all being together now, they could re-build again.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"_Hey bitches," _Charlie Bradbury's voice echoed through Dean's phone. "_I'm just in the lovely state of Kansas when I figured why not visit my two favorite Winchester brothers?"_

"Well we're here Charlie," Dean laughed. "But we're not alone."

"_Y'all having some secret monster orgy that I don't know about?" _Charlie asked, swerving to avoid a stick in the road. "_More importantly why was I not invited?"_

"No orgies here," Dean said, earning a strange look from Sam and a smirk from Gabriel. Castiel just looked confused. "Just recovery, we've got angels though."

"_Angels," _Charlie's excitement level went up a bit more. "_As in angels named Castiel?"_

"And Gabriel," Dean explained. "It's been a long week Charlie. I promise I'll explain when you get here. But for now just head our way I guess. Unless you've got a motel planned?"

"_Well I mean I can_ _book one if Casa de Winchester is full," _Charlie replied. "_But I'd sure as hell like to see you guys."_

"C'mon over Charlie," Dean said. "We're all gonna be here. Just pull up beside the Impala."

"_Ten four." _Charlie hung up and continued to drive.

Dean smiled at his cell phone before putting it back in his pocket.

"How do you feel about a grocery store trip Sammy?" Dean asked. "I could use another set of hands."

"Sure Dean." Sam got up and walked over to the coat closet, tugging on his jacket and removing his gun from it. Dean shrugged on a jacket too. Titan lifted his head in response to the front door opening and after earning a look from Gabriel he took it as a sign to follow Dean out of the house. After hearing the familiar rumble of the Impala's engine fade into the distance, Gabriel spoke.

"So you're going to continue to lie to them," Gabriel said from beside Castiel on the couch. He was fiddling with a chess set on the coffee table where the opposing pawns were set up for a game. "Because that worked out so well the first few hundred times that you did."

"You're one to talk," Castiel shot back, a look of annoyance on his face. "You've lied far more times than I have and not just to them. So don't you dare decide you're high and mighty all of a sudden?"

"I never said I was," Gabriel replied. "Someone is PMSing. They're gonna find out either way Slim Jim and when they do what are you going to tell them then? You won't even be able to remember their names."

"I will not be Dean's nor Sam's concern when that time comes." Castiel explained.

"So you're going to leave?" Gabriel asked.

"I will do what I have to."

"Running away again." Gabriel sighed.

"I learned it from the best." Castiel said, directing his sarcasm towards Gabriel in particular, as he stood up and walked away from his older brother towards his room. Castiel popped in one of the tapes Dean had let him borrow and tried to drown out the other presence in the bunker. Gabriel, angered by Castiel's accusations towards his character, continued to mess with the pawn on the chessboard until it toppled over. The king had fallen while the others remained upright. Sure seemed about right.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam and Dean perused the aisles looking for junk food and more importantly ingredients for a dinner fit for two hunters, an archangel, a hacker, and a newly humanized angel. Or at least that was what Dean had assumed after Gabriel had informed him of Castiel's potential fates. Dean was glad it hadn't been the other one. Death wouldn't have suited his friend well. There was a part of him that was glad to have Sam by his side once again even if it was something as mundane as the grocery store, but there was a bigger part of him that wanted it to be Castiel instead.

_"Looking to go domestic already boss?" _Titan was invisible to the other humans, but he made it so that Dean and Sam could see him. Dean chuckled at the old nickname. The hound had called him that upon their first meeting and for awhile after. He'd only started to call him Dean after they'd become close friends, but Titan sometimes called him that out of playfulness to lighten the mood.

"No," Dean said. "Charlie's coming over."

"_Charlie huh," _Titan scratched his neck. His angel wing dog tags jingled. "_She sounds nice. Hot too."_

"She doesn't swing that way I'm afraid," Dean replied, continuing down the aisle. "And I highly doubt she wants to do things doggy style."

_"Darn," _Titan chuckled and followed right by Dean's side. When they'd first been acquainted Dean hadn't liked the idea of having someone by his side at all times, but now that it had been a few years since then Dean felt naked without his four legged friend padding along to the left or right of him. Titan caught Dean's gaze towards Sam, who was at the end of the aisle picking out a meat. "_You wish it was Castiel instead. But you're grateful that you've made up with Sam. You just wish things could be as you wished they were before this whole fiasco actually happened."_

"Damn you're good," Dean replied, mostly ignoring Titan's original question. "They should put you on TV as the new Long Island Medium or something."

_"You do not have to answer me Dean," _Titan stated before walking towards Sam. "_I can simply read your mind for all of the answers that I need to my questions."_

Sam quickly scratched behind the invisible hound's ears so as not to freak out the normal customers who were shopping too. Dean carefully observed his brother. The younger brother he'd left behind once again, but didn't intend to this time. Sam didn't look as though he'd been about ready to have a mental breakdown before Dean had come back. Then again most people who were mentally unstable at one point or another didn't really look the part. Sam's careful concentration on the meats led Dean to believe that he was trying to think about only that and the other million and one things going through his head in that moment. Dean strode over and scooped up a package of ground beef and motioned to the noodles in the hand cart.

"Spaghetti," Dean said, making the decision for Sam so he didn't have to. "It's a meal to feed the masses. It works. C'mon let's get home before Charlie gets there."

Sam nodded and followed Dean to the cashier. He rang them up and Dean carried the groceries back to the Impala. Titan jumped into the back seat and laid down, head on his paws. Sam buckled in and the two of them began the ride back to the bunker. Sam was eerily quiet until Dean spoke.

"Sammy look," Dean said. "I know we cleared the air. But if you've got something on your mind I want you to tell me ok? There's nothing I won't listen to. Or Gabriel I'm sure would too. Y'all have become fast friends. That's good. You need that."

Sam smiled at the mention of Dean accepting the one friend Sam had left besides him and Castiel. Even though this particular friend had killed Dean one million times in one repeating day.

"I know you're not gonna wanna live with me forever or have me as your personal therapist either," Dean explained. "But I just want you to know Sammy that whatever you need to say I'm gonna listen whether you like it or not and I'm not gonna let you go down that road that Gabriel had said you were going down before I came back. Not ever again you hear me. I'm right behind you, whatever road you choose, win or lose."

"Dude," Sam chuckled. "Did you just quote Rod Stewart?"

"Now see this was a beautiful moment," Dean replied, smirking and laughing himself. "And you just ruined it."

"I'm not the one working _Forever Young_ into my heartfelt speeches Dean." Sam replied, his smile growing. Dean looked over once at his little brother's smile that rarely ever came out anymore. It filled his heart to the brim to see it now.

"Would you rather me quote Disney?" Dean asked.

"God no."

"Good to know we're on the same page."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"Dean," Charlie exclaimed as she plowed through the front door and threw her arms around Dean. "Sam! I haven't seen you all in forever! Oh my God."

"Hey Charlie," Dean smiled and squeezed her as he hugged her. Sam was next and he too gave a squeezing hug to the red headed hacker. "We'd like you to meet two others."

"It's a pleasure miss," Gabriel took her hand and kissed the top of it before winking and smirking. Sam rolled his eyes, but managed a smile. Dean laughed and Castiel gave a small smile before it faded. "I'm Gabriel the archangel. Host of Heaven and general badass. Captain Quiet over here is my little brother Castiel."

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance Charlie." Castiel shook her hand and bowed his head slightly.

"Such gentlemen," Charlie said. "Almost makes me wish I was straight. Almost."

She laughed and Sam continued to roll his eyes.

"Cas maybe," Sam said. "Gabriel is more like that annoying kid in middle school that you just wanna drop kick sometimes."

"Watch your tongue Winchester," Gabriel smirked. "Or I may just have to drop kick you."

"I'd like to see you try." Sam laughed.

"Ok guys," Dean waved his hands. "Zip it up and put the rulers away. I'm gonna make dinner now. Would anyone like to help?"

"I do believe it would be best for me to help Dean," Castiel volunteered. "I do believe that since I am human now I should be learning basic human skills."

"Oh," Dean was a bit taken aback by Castiel's statement, but it was the truth and if the guy wanted to learn who was he to stop him? "Well alright then Cas. C'mon and help me."

Dean and Castiel left for the kitchen. Castiel walked past Gabriel and they both exchanged a knowing look before parting ways. Sam and Gabriel led Charlie over towards the living room. Sam inspected the chess board that he had set up perfectly earlier to find that all of the pawns were knocked over except for one. Confused, he fixed them and set them up properly again. Gabriel acted as though he'd played no part in that and Charlie reached down to pet under Titan's chin as the Angelhound had just come up to greet her.

"How's my favorite hound doing?" Charlie scratched him in one of his many spots. "I brought doggy treats with me this time."

"_Sam," _Titan drooled onto Charlie's foot. "_Keep her around."_

Gabriel, Sam, and Charlie all burst into laughter that traveled into the kitchen where Dean was teaching Castiel how to stir the sauce and add the right ingredients to make it delicious. Castiel was concentrating on the food and Dean broke into a smile at the simplicity of the evening.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"You mean to tell me that you have never seen Harry Potter?" Charlie gasped when Castiel had revealed that little fact to her.

"I know of it because the angel that stole my grace implanted every pop culture reference he knew into my head," Castiel informed her. "Harry is the boy with the lightning bolt and he is a wizard. Also a man without a nose is advancing on him. That is all I know."

"We're watching at least the first one tonight," Charlie stated. "We all are."

"I could do with a family movie night." Dean announced and Sam nodded in agreement. Castiel smiled at the sheer fact that Dean had called them all a family. He'd spent the last few months trying to get his heavenly family back home that it felt good to be a part of one again. He could tell Gabriel shared the same sentiment.

"Alright," Charlie logged into Netflix on their TV under her account name and set it up. "Someone get popcorn and junk food. I'm going to feel ill if it kills me."

"I do not understand why one would wish to feel ill?" Castiel cocked his head ever so slightly. "It is not a pleasant feeling."

"It's an expression Cas," Dean said. "You're gonna have to learn those too if you're going to be a Grade A human."

"Well I suppose you will be a most excellent teacher Dean." Castiel said.

"I'll sure try." Dean nodded and smiled at his friend. He placed a reassuring hand on Castiel's shoulder and led the former angel to the kitchen along with him to get the snacks. Sam and Gabriel took their respected seats on the same couch. Sam kicked up his feet and Gabriel sat with his legs and arms crossed, leaning back into the cushions. Charlie sat crossed legged on the floor. Titan joined her and she found she could easily use the hound as a makeshift pillow and she did. Titan sighed, but didn't make any attempts to move. Dean and Castiel took the other couch and distributed three bowls of popcorn. Charlie played keep away with Titan with hers for a good ten minutes before Dean snapped at the hound to stop begging and he obeyed. Gabriel and Sam downed their bowl halfway through the movie and Dean gave the rest of theirs to Castiel.

As Castiel sat in darkness with his friends, his family, he couldn't help but think a little even as he attempted to devour the movie like those around him were. He hadn't intended to ever tell the Winchesters what his undeniable fate was now that he was human. He'd shared Raziel's memories. He knew what was going to happen to him and Gabriel did too. He was entrusting his brother to keep his dirty little secret as well. He knew he would though. Gabriel was leaving this up to Castiel to sort out and sort it out he would. But not before he learned what went with being a human. All within one month.

He figured though, that he could start here, with a simple movie about a boy with a lightning bolt scar destined for great things.

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**This was more of a filler and fluffy family moments chapter, but those are good too right? Does anyone have predictions? What will Cas do? Will he tell Dean or no and will Dean reveal what he's been hiding about his feelings ever?**

**Tell me what you think.**

**More to come soon.**


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Castiel started noticing the effects about one week later than the day he'd come home from the hospital.

His first really vivid dream as a human tipped it off. He was surrounded by other angels in it. He was once again inside of his mind where the air was less foggy than before, but some mist had started to appear. Castiel looked down at his body. He was dressed in his usual trench coat and suit attire and his shoes were his typical black dress shoes. In his hand he held his angel blade and all around him stood figures he didn't recognize. They were angels that much he did know, but he couldn't remember why they were important to him. He slowly looked around from the center of the circle they had him surrounded in. They were all staring at him, willing him to know who they were, but he just couldn't place names to faces. It was a frustrating struggle and it was honestly making Castiel's mind hurt just trying to process everyone around him.

There was an angel with short black hair and bluish green eyes, Castiel could sense Dean and Sam's lineage in his vessel and based on how he was dressed the vessel wasn't from this time period. There was another with dirty blonde hair and a french vessel that was wearing a black v-neck shirt and a sport coat and he had a bloody hole through the center of his chest. There was a red headed angel in a female vessel that was giving Castiel a look of disdain. There was another angel in an African American vessel that was looking at Castiel like he was going to kill him. Finally there was the only angel he could remember by name: Gabriel. Gabriel was beckoning him to leave the circle. He was the only one who seemed to be looking at Castiel like he wasn't prey. Slowly the other angels turned towards one another and glared. Gabriel took Castiel away from the circle before it turned into a full on brawl where angels were stabbing another with angel blades and disappearing into thin air.

"The black haired one was Michael," Gabriel informed Castiel. "The one with the hole in his chest was Balthazar. The red headed one that was Anna and the last angel that was Raphael."

"Oh," Castiel trailed off for a moment, trying to bring recognition to any of their identities.

"Do you know who any of them are?" Gabriel asked, but it came out sounding more like a plea than a question.

"Yes I feel as though I do," Castiel nodded. "I suppose I just forgot then."

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The second week wasn't any better. Castiel had gone on a hunt with Sam and Dean against the elder Winchester's discretion. Castiel had just wanted to be of assistance. Charlie had stayed back at the bunker with Gabriel to learn more about angels from what the archangel had to offer. She was staying with the Winchesters at the bunker until the end of the month because an upcoming con was going to be in the area around that time and Charlie didn't really feel like driving off and then having to come right back. Castiel had enjoyed her company though and he could tell Gabriel enjoyed explaining angelic things to another human willing to listen and learn. Mostly because Castiel himself was having to constantly be reminded of the same facts. The loss of memory was imminent, but it was terrifying at the same time.

Needless to say, Castiel had almost messed up the ending of the hunt. The shape shifter had been right in front of him and he'd paused a moment before punching them. The creature staggered a bit and grabbed it's cheek, but kicked right back into action. Castiel's angel blade had fallen to the floor and Dean motioned for him to pick it up, but Castiel didn't seem to register that the object was important. The shape shifter punched him right back and Castiel fell to his knees before he looked up into the creature's cat-like eyes as Dean shot it right through the heart. It gasped and collapsed beside Castiel on the floor, dead. Dean helped his brother up after he'd been thrown against the wall and then ran over to Castiel.

"Dude," Dean exclaimed. "What were you hesitating for? Your blade kills everything! You could've stabbed that mother!"

"I could've," Castiel realized. "My blade really kills everything?"

"Yeah Cas," Dean helped his friend up from the dusty old floor. "It kind of does, I've known you for how long now? I'm surprised you blanked out like that. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"I am fine Dean," Castiel assured his friend. "I just had what humans call a 'brain fart'."

"I sure hope so Cas," Dean begun to gather up their stuff and walk out of the abandoned house.

Castiel couldn't bring himself to tell Dean yet, nor Sam. Not yet. They meant too much to him to bring them down once again and have them try to fix his silly little problems. There was nothing to fix here and damn if Castiel knew that Dean would try his hardest. He always had when it came to Castiel. Castiel constantly admired the man for that. There were a multitude of other reasons he couldn't tell Dean what was to happen to him. But that one was the highest, how close he held the hunter to his heart. That was why he followed Dean and Sam out the door without a single word.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The second week Castiel also learned basic human cooking skills and how to drive by his request.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

The third week was the hardest. The third week decided it all. Castiel had started to forget his past. He was blanking occasionally on where he'd come from. He was losing memory of who the people around him were, but only slightly. That would come back the fastest than anything else he was forgetting. The things that scared him were the things that weren't coming back. He kept his fears to himself though and continued on with his life at the bunker with the others. Charlie had challenged him to numerous rounds of checkers and the angel had gotten quite good at it. He even beat Sam, who was a self proclaimed pro at the game. No one but those in his inner circle noticed the changes going on inside of the former angel's brain. Gabriel didn't say a word and Titan would simply sigh and stare at Castiel like he was expecting him to reply to noises alone. Castiel had learned almost every vital human skill under the sun without arousing suspicion from anyone.

The night that decided it all was two nights after the third week was over. Castiel remembered the night most of all because it was warm outside and the bunker was filled with music.

"Hey DJ is running out of suggestions over here!" Charlie announced over the blaring sound of _Bad Moon Rising_. "I need music recs!"

"No new fangled crap," Dean exclaimed from the kitchen, popping the caps off of two different beers. One was for him and one was for Sam. "Old songs only, they've got soul at least!"

"I'll play Taylor Swift just for you Dean," Charlie yelled and picked out another tape from the collection. It was Genesis. Castiel smiled in gratification at her choice. He happened to like that band now that Dean had introduced him to them. "But after the good stuff."

"Thank God," Dean rolled his eyes and laughed after he handed Sam his beer and the younger Winchester took a small sip. "And anything but Jefferson Starships!"

"How about some Asia Charlie?" Gabriel suggested with a smirk on his face and Sam's stomach dropped to his feet and he took a big swig of alcohol. Gabriel laughed. "Geez Sammy relax, I'm just kidding."

"I say anything we can dance to." Charlie suggested and popped in the Genesis tape. A fast paced, but shorter song played first.

"I am afraid I am not familiar with that form of human enjoyment." Castiel spoke up, almost afraid to say he didn't know how to dance.

"What?" Sam asked. "Really Cas? Over all these years you never learned to dance?"

"C'mon baby bro," Gabriel pushed him gently to the center of the living room floor. "You're gonna learn tonight. It's one of those human things you gotta know."

"Dean," Sam pushed his brother forward too. "You're good at dancing. You show him how it's done."

"Sam I uh," Dean was stammering a bit. He was about to dance with Castiel. The song had changed to _Throwing It All Away _and Phil Collins' iconic voice was practically inviting them to move. Castiel smiled nervously at Dean. Dean knew he was in deep right then and there was no backing out. "Fine. But no laughing."

Dean set down his beer and stepped over close to Castiel. He looked him in the eyes and talked him through the basics of beginning the slow dance. He took the angel's hand in his. He'd never noticed how calloused and rough Castiel's palms were. He felt Castiel's hand on his hip in response to the hunter's directions and he felt his eyes on him. Dean's breaths were coming out raggedly as he and Castiel started to sway and move. The lyrics to the song bled out behind them.

_"I watch the world go round and round and see mine turning upside down."_

Dean could feel the former angel's energy even now that it was gone. He sensed it was because of their supposed profound bond, but he didn't know for sure. All that he knew was that they weren't moving like two separate entities anymore like when their dance had started. They were moving as one. It felt strange. Dean had danced with so many people in his lifetime. Hell, he'd even danced with Sam as a kid on the top of his feet and nothing compared to the feeling of this. It was like they'd been waiting for this moment their whole lives to feel complete. At least Dean felt he had.

"_Now who will light up the darkness and who will hold your hand and who will find you the answers when you don't understand..."_

Castiel felt something too. He felt closer to his friend than he ever had. As he stared into Dean's green eyes he felt like his whole world was in them. Everything he'd worked hard to protect since he'd pulled the man from Hell was wrapped up in the windows to his soul. The soul Castiel had pieced back together bit by bit and had seen every inch of. The soul the former angel had found the most beautiful out of them all. He hadn't noticed how strong Dean's hand were, especially now that one of them was entangled with his own. Phil's voice became noise in the background, yet Castiel and Dean were feeling every word. Every note was like a rhythm that was shooting through their bodies uncontrollably. Castiel's feet dragged less, his body swayed more and so did Dean's, and his heart pounded like a snare drum that couldn't be silenced. Dean felt this rush, this high, the high he felt when he saw a hot chick in the bar, but intensified. He felt it all over his body but mostly in his equally loudly pounding heart.

_"Someday you will be sorry. Someday when you're free, memories will remind you that our love was meant to be."_

The song slowed down to a close after the last chorus and so did Dean and Castiel's movements. Dean stopped first as he'd been leading. Charlie whistled and clapped as did Gabriel. Sam smiled and Titan barked his approval once. Dean smiled and so did Castiel. The pair separated and Castiel moved more off to the side than before. His mind was wandering now. His memories were fading at an alarming rate and he was honestly terrified. He looked over at Dean, who was smiling and talking to Sam. Gabriel was putting in his two cents for songs to Charlie and Titan was curled up on the carpet once again. Castiel brushed past Dean to the double doors of the bunker and outside. Dean as the only one who took notice. He excused himself from Sam and followed the angel into the unusually warm night.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

"Nice out tonight isn't it?" Dean caused Castiel to jump and spin his head around to see the smiling hunter approaching him, a beer in his hand. He leaned up against the Impala next to the former angel.

"It is certainly one of Father's best." Castiel nodded. He was surprised he was still remembering his creator, but not the others like him. Not their names. He was growing increasingly more worried about his memory loss and had yet to tell the others. He figured now was as good a time as ever, but he still couldn't get himself to utter the words to Dean.

"What's bothering you Cas?" Dean asked. "I can sense something's off."

Castiel silently cursed the hunter. He had to ask that.

"I think I need to leave Dean." Castiel replied, not looking his friend in the eyes. It hurt him worse to say those words than it would ever hurt Dean to hear them.

"Oh," Dean was hiding his heartbreak at the thought of being without his best friend again. Especially when there was so much left to say. "Alright well...what made you come up with this Cas?"

"Dean," Castiel replied. "You taught me long ago that humans lie when they want something. I'm lying to you right now about I'm really leaving, but I need you to trust me that the truth would hurt you far worse than a lie. I'm asking you to trust me now when I say that I have to leave before I hurt you and Sam."

"Hurt us?" Dean was so confused. "What are you saying Cas?"

"I'm saying that you have to trust me," Castiel explained once again. "Please Dean, you are my best friend. I am asking only this of you."

"Ok Cas," Dean finally agreed. "Fine."

"Thank you," Castiel finally leaned forward and hugged Dean. Dean held onto him like he was the last anchor left in a harbor full of ships. "I'm doing this for me Dean and for you and for Sam. I have to know what it's like to be a human on my own. You have taught me so much. From cooking to showers, to driving and now dancing. I'm sure I can be as great a human as the rest of them."

"Yeah," Dean's voice was a little shaky. "I feel yah Cas. I understand."

"Thank you Dean," Castiel breathed out after holding his breath for so long. "For all of these years. For all you've taught me and for all we've been through. Thank you most of all though for teaching me something very important."

"What's that Cas?" Dean was trying hard not to cry. His voice was cracking though and tears were pricking in the corners of his eyes.

"Sometimes you have to walk away," Castiel explained as he let go of Dean and looked into his eyes. "You have to let go so you don't hurt someone. Because that's what love is about."

Castiel started to walk away from the Impala. Dean stood, frozen on the spot, he couldn't move. He couldn't think. He couldn't even breathe. All he could was watch Castiel walk out of his life once again and into the dark of the night.

"Goodbye Dean." Castiel said before he disappeared like a shadow after nightfall.

**And that...is how Destiel goes canon. Hope I didn't break your hearts too badly? But you all understand why Castiel left right? –prepares for onslaught of Hellfire and pitchforks- Anyway guys this is the last full chapter of this fic. Meaning there is one more left, an epilogue. I debated between keeping it up or ending it here and ultimately the second one won because it would've gotten boring and drawn out if I had kept going. **

**That Genesis song really fit the best right? Keep in mind people I am treating Season 10 like it's the last Season of Supernatural in this fic so I hope you all like my version of how it ends. **

**I shall see you all in the epilogue.**


	42. Epilogue

Epilogue

Dean felt as though he could kick himself in the head for all that had happened since that fateful night when Castiel had left. He had walked inside after watching the former angel disappear into the night and he had debated. He had debated going after him. He had debated screaming his name one thousand times in prayer until he came back, then Dean remembered his friend wasn't an angel anymore so he wouldn't hear him. It was just like that song they had danced to. He was watching the world changing around him and never ceasing to do so all while his own was turning upside down once again.

When Gabriel had told him of what was really going to happen to Castiel, Dean being of sound mind and able body almost always broke down. He had never broken down in front of anyone like that, no one but Sam. The tears that had pricked in the corners of his eyes had felt like knives piercing into his eyes. His body had shaken a little and he'd had to leave the living room and go to his room. Once he'd gotten there he'd promptly screamed and trashed his desk and thrown everything to the floor. Gabriel had explained why Castiel had resisted the urge to tell Dean why he had to leave, but it had still hurt. He had remembered Castiel's words.

"_I'm lying to you right now about I'm really leaving, but I need you to trust me that the truth would hurt you far worse than a lie."_

Somehow Dean had felt as though he could challenge that one.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Eventually Dean had gotten over it for the most part and he had continued his semi-normal life with Sam. Charlie had left for the convention one week after the bombshell had been dropped that night and had promised to check in. Gabriel had flown off, claiming that there was a lot he had to work through on his own. He had told the Winchesters that they should seriously consider making him a permanent ally and both Dean and Sam had agreed. After such words had been exchanged Gabriel had hugged both brothers and disappeared.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

Sam had kept Dean busy with a monster of the week. Each successful hunt had made Dean feel a little better, but no amount of monster guts and underground charitable work could make the hunter forget his friend. But that was just it, Castiel had always been more. Dean had wanted to tell him that night after that dance. That dance had brought up so many memories and feelings that Dean hadn't felt since his first love. Even now as he thought about it, he felt those feelings mixed with regret. He regretted not telling Castiel while he had the chance and now he'd never have that chance ever again. That was what had kept Dean up at night every night since the former angel had left. He had believed from a young age that things were meant to happen, secretly he'd believed this forever without telling Sam, and now he didn't know if he could anymore. He hadn't been able to accept yet that Castiel leaving was for a reason. He had hoped that one day he'd have that answer.

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

_**One Year After Castiel had left...**_

One day he and Sam had been driving back from a fairly local hunt, which for them meant it was in the same state as the bunker. They had decided to stop for lunch somewhere. Dean hadn't known why, but something had drawn him back to Lawrence. It was as if the universe had held a giant billboard sign up in the sky telling him to drive there. It was like his foot hadn't had the least amount of control on the gas pedal and his hands had had a mind of their own when they'd moved the steering wheel in the direction of the Lawrence exit. It had been months since Dean had been to Lawrence with Sam or Castiel. The roads hadn't felt foreign though. Dean had felt like he was supposed to drive them that day. When they'd arrived at the location Dean had hoped was still there they'd been met with a big surprise. The diner had been booming, there had been people coming in and out endlessly through the doors of the establishment. Dean had let a smile grace over his face for the first time in one year. Sam had smiled too as they'd made their way through the doors, hoping to find a table.

The second surprise had come when they'd looked in the direction of the counter.

"Welcome to Cas'." A familiar voice had said and Dean's stomach had dropped to his feet. Sam's too.

Castiel had walked up to them, with a notepad in hand and a full smile on his face. He had been dressed in a blue long sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and black vans. His name tag had displayed the nickname Dean had given the angel years ago. Dean had stared at him with hope that the angel would recognize him, but no such luck had been thrown upon the hunter that day. Castiel had seated Sam and Dean at the table near the window they'd sat in both times Dean had been here with both of them and then he'd taken their drink and food orders. When he'd come back Sam had asked the questions.

"What happened to the owner of this place," Sam had asked. "Jack?"

"My employer unfortunately passed a year ago," Castiel had replied. "He left the place to me and allowed me to change the name to my own. Which I am eternally grateful for, see I wandered in here without a trace of where or who I was and he seemed to recognize me. He even said a name "Cas" which I assumed to be mine and he; well he took me under his wing until his death."

"That's great," Dean had finally spoken up. "Cas..."

"Thank you sir," Castiel had replied, it had felt weird to be called 'sir' by the former angel who had been Dean's best friend when he'd remembered being Dean's best friend. "I hope to work here for a long time."

"I'm glad you found something then," Dean had kept talking on impulse. He'd just wanted to say something, anything, to Castiel. "It's good."

"I like to think someone up there is watching out for me." Castiel had motioned to the sky with his eyes.

"He is," Dean had nodded with assurance and had basically melted all over again when Castiel had smiled in response and walked off to help other customers. Dean had kept talking even though he had walked off. "Trust me Cas. He is."

Their food had come and while Sam ate Dean had kept watching Castiel. He had thought about going up to him and trying to talk some sense into him. He had debated once again. He had debated trying to get Castiel to remember him and Sam. To remember his life before this, but something had stopped Dean. Because when Dean had thought back about all they had been through since the angel had pulled him from Hell, since they'd fought countless evils like the angels themselves, the Leviathans, the monsters and Metatron. He'd thought about one year ago and all Castiel and he had been through then and all that the former angel had done for him. As he'd watched Castiel talking to customers, smiling, and laughing he'd thought about one more thing. He'd thought about their story, the story of the angel afraid of falling and the man afraid of flying and how they'd met in the middle and had become the most unlikely of friends. How he'd fallen in love with an angel and now that he sat alone with his thoughts he could finally admit that.

Finally, he'd thought about how happy Castiel was in that moment and how Dean was alright with that. The former angel now had another chance at life and now he could live it without care or fear. Dean had felt a bit envious, but ultimately he had to lie to himself and put aside his own feelings and be happy for Castiel. Because that was what love was about?

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

That, however; didn't mean that Dean had to stay away. He'd agreed with himself that had to let Castiel live his life. But that hadn't stopped him from parking his iconic Impala in front of the diner once in awhile each month. That hadn't stopped him from becoming a regular at the diner, his face known by all when he entered the town and that certainly hadn't stopped him from coming in just to hear those words that had started this whirlwind of a life he'd had with his friend, the friend he'd follow down to Hell and back and he certainly had. The words that Castiel had learned to say with a smile every time and memorize again like a script in the best movie Dean had ever seen:

"Hello Dean"

To which Dean would reply with an equally happy smile:

"Hey Cas."

**THE END**

**A/N: So that's it. That's how Supernatural ends. I hope you all enjoyed my interpretation and wow...I have to say thank you to everyone whose read and reviewed this! It makes me so happy that you all took a genuine interest in a story that I didn't know where I was going with it when I first published it and now I've ended up here. I feel like I'm letting go of a child. But I'm proud of this and I hope many others enjoy it as well. With that being said, it's been a thrilling ride doing this story and I'll see you all in my other ones and the many new ones yet to come.**


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